Kingdom Hearts: The Rogue's Key
by DCD10unite
Summary: After the fateful night, Gentoku Himuro was brought into a world where the struggle between the Light and Darkness went on. Allying with the renowned Keyblade Wielders, Gentoku set his foot into many worlds to prevent the chaos that would be brought upon and find the balance between the light and darkness inside of him and his companions, for he was a man of both.
1. Gate 1: A Rogue in the Garden

Gate 1: A Rogue in the Garden

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider and Kingdom Hearts as they both belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 _What is light? What is darkness?_

 _Two elements that had already existed since the beginning of time._

 _They are contradicting, yet they are connected._

 _Somewhere around the universe, these forces had constantly been at war against each other, and both had came to a stalemate._

 _Until the knight of exile who serves the justice walks path between them._

 _For there are light and darkness, there must be a balance._

 _And this is how the Rogue writes his story._

* * *

It was dark at the city of Touto, in the finally-united country of Japan. Citizens lived peacefully and they walked out freely after the war it had been through as the result of a struggle for power that had almost tore the country apart However, it was all thanks to the brave warriors known as the Kamen Riders that the country was finally reunited once again.

Among the Riders was a man who sought penance and redemption after the chaos he had brought himself. He was among the greedy ones who sought to unify and rule the country with his own iron rule. A villain, if you may ask. Now that he had become a Kamen Rider, he could finally set things right for everyone, and for himself.

So, what if such powers had been taken away from him, and that he was left with nothing but his own Hazard level?

This is what had transpired above the heights of Touto buildings. Two conflicting men stood against each other. one of them had his belt being severly damaged beyond repair, and standing in front of him was a mysterious man in an armor. In front of the former was a shattered purple bottle. He could barely hold his stand with the injuries he sustained without any weapon left to retaliate.

It was raining that night. And this was clearly not the best day for Gentoku Himuro.

 **BAT! STEAM BREAK!**

After the command was heard, a beam of light and darkness approached him as he was being shot down from a high place. he could only wait for his impending end, falling down to a place where he could never survive. He could feel the darkness enveloping him as he fell, consuming him until there was nothing but dark.

The end.

Or is it?

* * *

 _48 hours earlier..._

Gentoku found himself inside an empty hall that was used to be an arena where the warriors of the divided Japan fought in a duel. It was in purpose of preventing further casualties as the Pandora War was still on. After the war was no more, Gentoku would normally use it as means of practice, where he could hone his strength and raise his own Hazard level. There could be more threats unimaginable before, and that as a Rider, he must be ready.

Standing in front of him was a bulky, combat android that used to be in Nanba Industries' service, the company that had also been orchestrating the war in order to boost the sales of their product. This model was one of it, dubbed as 'Hard Guardian'. However, this wasn't the real one, and it was a holographic dummy for training purpose instead. This time, the dummy was powered up beyond its regular level. And as always, Gentoku was ready.

The Rider took out his Crocodile Crack Fullbottle, the trinket that had been on his service through his days of fighting. He twisted its cap to its regular position, and the bottle emitted a red crack once it did.

 **DANGER!**

An ominous sound effect was heard from the bottle. He then sled it into his blue Sclash Driver's slot, causing the belt to mention the bottle's name and displayed its symbol of a crocodile head circled by gear teeth.

 **CROCODILE!**

"Henshin."

 **WARERU! KUWARERU! KUDAKE CHIRU!**

 **CROCODILE IN ROGUE! ORAA!**

Gentoku pushed the wrench on his Sclash Driver down, causing the Fullbottle's essence to be squashed into the Driver's tank. As the command was activated, Gentoku was encased inside a measuring glass. It filled itself up with purple liquid that quickly hardened once it reached the Rider's head. Then, a mechanical, upward crocodile head opened its jaw and cracked the glass along with the hardened liquid. The jaw also covered Gentoku. From the inside, the material that encased Gentoku began to broke down and revealed him to be covered inside a set of purple armor as the jaw opened and dematerialized.

The armor was mostly in purple, themed after the Crocodile bottle itself. The armor's ferocious appearance was backed up by its purple color, along with white lines that also made up its sharp parts and some mint lines. He also had a pair of white, clawed gloves and shoes. His shoulder guard was akin to that of jaws. The torso was shaped like an open shirt over a cracked torso inside that also took shape as a crocodile head, if one looked closely. And finally, his helmet looked like a black glass that was about to be mawed by its jaw-shaped horns. The horns cracked the helmet, forming crack lines that also made a pair of mint visors that lit up long with the crocodile eye-gem on its right cheek upon activation.

In this armor, Gentoku was known as Kamen Rider Rogue, once an exiled warrior that sought redemption as he fought his way to survive.

"Your sacrifice will be for the greater good." He declared.

The dummy Hard Guardian charged towards the Rider in an attempt to pummel him to the ground. Rogue retaliated by shoving the Guardian's left pincer arm away and kicked it in the groin. The Guardian's armor was very solid that Rogue's kick didn't hinder its stance. Rogue kicked the android away as he backflipped away from it, he then delivered a powerful barrage that began to disorient the Hard Guardian.

Rogue's armor was powered by a high dose of Nebula Gas, which was derrived from Pandora's Box' essence that could alter one's physiology, granting them immense strength and various powers. It was once being used on random humans to turn them into monsters called Smash, in order to research human's capabilites when infused with the said gas.

Rogue's armor, however, had a much higher power as the gas was baing conquered by the user's immense will and resolve to fight. His days of fighting had made him much stronger than the first time he began using the system. It was also thanks to his comrades that he was able to preceed beyond his enemies and his own expectations. He would treasure it forever.

As he held onto those feelings, his strength gradually grew stronger the longer he fought. The Nebula Steams from his attacks began to cause damage towards the Hard Guardian's armor. however, the android took notice of this and began to use its right gatling arm. It opened fire towards the Rider, but it left him unfazed. He then used his Transteam Blade and cut off the gatling's muzzle, causing it to exploed as the Guardian opened fire again. Deciding to end his session, Rogue pushed his Driver's wrench down to execute his finisher.

 **CRACK UP FINISH!**

Rogue jumped and delivered a barrage of Rider kicks. Each of his boots generated energy constructs of crocodile fangs that crushed the Guardian's body until it was reduced into a pile of scrap. Rogue then delivered a final kick that sent the construct and the Guardian away until both of it exploded in the air. The Rider had finally emerged from his training victoriously. And the next thing he needed was a fresh bottle of water.

The Rider commanded his helmet to open itself. It started with the jaw horns letting off the glass-like helmet as it slowly dissipated to reveal Gentoku's own head. He then approached the spectator's room to reach out the drink he needed. It turned out that his arrival was expected by his own friend.

"Tsukasa." He greeted.

"Oh, didn't expect to see you here, Gentoku." The man greeted.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked.

"Actually, I kinda expect to see either Ryuga or Kazumi in here. I mean, they always train a lot right?" Tsukasa said. "Say, where are the others? Haven't seen them for a while."

"Those two are currently helping the crop revitalization on Hokuto, and Sento's helping the reconstruction on Seito. That's all I've heard from them last time, and that leaves me to train here in Touto's arena." Gentoku explained as he drank his water.

"I see... well then, I suppose you have a free time for now, aren't you?"

"A request, eh? Alright, I'm listening." Gentoku accepted.

Tsukasa then reached out his smartphone, showing him a picture of a mysterious creature running amok in the night. The creature's appearance was enough to describe that it was nothing like a Smash. The creature looked like a black demonic dwarf that thrashed the streets. It had pointed arms and legs that made it looked like a living buzz of lightning.

"What the hell is that?" Gentoku asked.

"It all started with a strange portal distortion that occured last night. The longer it stood, this creature started to spawn in the streets. They're called the Unversed, creatures that feed on negative energy. I assume that they might be lurking somewhere in the darkness of this city. I'm gonna need your help to track them down, find the portal, and eliminate them once and for all." Tsukasa explained.

"A creature that feeds on negative energy. and they're not even a Smash." Gentoku deduced. "That means their origin is not of the Riderverse."

"True. we also believe that they might be the ones behind the mess on Seito and Hokuto last time."

"R-really!?"

"I haven't received the details of their reports yet, but I have an strong feeling that they are indeed responsible. That's what scares me." Tsukasa said.

"I see. so, you want me to investigate the portal and prevent these Unversed from causing further damage?" Gentoku repeated.

"That's correct."

"Very well. I shall proceed with this mission. I hope you're also available for guidance, considering that this matter is... otherworldly."

"Don't worry, buddy. Otherworld is my favorite chat topic." Tsukasa assured.

* * *

 _Elsewhere..._

In a world where people's hearts are connected with the world's light and darkness, came forth a blonde boy whose eyes a re as blue as the skies of his home, even when it was already dark. He was seen wearing a short-sleeved jacket underneath a zipper-shirt and bagged shorts that went through until his knee. The white and black colors resembled that of a chess floor. He was also seen wearing a black left pauldron, signifying that he was a warrior or sort.

"Wow!" he squealed.

The shooting stars were a rare occasion in the gardens of the Land of Departure. It was said that if one made a wish, it would become true. the young Ventus had made many wishes, among them was to become a Keyblade Master. And alas, he wanted to be happy with his friends beside him.

"Why does this seem so familiar?" he muttered.

For a moment, he remembered the time when he was half-awoke in an island. He lifted his weapon and released its light at the night skies, without any knowledge on why he was doing it. perhaps it was just a dream, or something that might not worth knowing of. The soft grasses he sat on made him tired as he had been waiting for this night to come. He then laid his tired body on the ground, which later took notice of a certain blue-haired girl.

"Whoa!" he screamed.

The wielder suddenly got back up on his knees to see his friend who surprised him. The girl was wearing a tight black sleeveless top with a pink garterbelt that crossed her torso. She also donned a pair of white arm sleeves with pieces of armor on top of it and a pair of fingerless black gloves. On her bottom was dark shorts with a pair of black stockings under silver, pointed shoes. There were also white and blue waist scarfs on her clothes.

"Gimme a break, Aqua." Ven said to the girl.

"Ven, you hopeless sleepyhead." She softly scolded. "You know, you should've at least brought a blanket."

"But... Did I dream that place up? It really felt like I'd been there before...looking up at the stars..." he muttered about the dream again.

" 'Cept you've always lived here with us." Aqua reassured, petting the boy's head.

"Yeah... I know." He replied. The two then walked towards the edge of the hill and sit on top of it.

"Aqua..."

"Hm?"

"Y'ever wonder what stars are? Where light comes from?" Ven asked.

"Hmm... Well they say—" she replied, only to be cut by a particular voice.

"That every star up there is another world."

The two wielders knew the voice too well. It came from a brown-haired young man who was seen wearing a black tight shirt under a red garterbelt that, much like Aqua, crossed his torso. He was also wearing a bronze spaulder on his left arm and a black armband on the right one. On his bottom were a pair of brown, wide-legged pants that covered his black boots. He also donned a black belt with a golden heart-like button in the middle.

"Terra." Aqua called out.

"Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own." He said as he walked over to them. "The light is their hearts, and it's shining down on us like a million lanterns."

"What? I don't get it." Ven wondered.

"In other words, they're just like you, Ven." Terra replied.

"Yeah, but what does _that_ mean?" he clarrified again.

"You'll find out someday, I'm sure."

"I wanna know now."

"You're too _young_ to know now."

"Oh, quit treating me like a kid!" Ven objected.

The more she looked at it, the funnier it had become in the girl's mind. Seeing them like this had made her heart more tender. The warmth she felt was unbearable, so much that she had to let out a small giggle, only to turn it into a laughter.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Terra asked the giggling girl

She replied, "I can't help it. You two would make the weirdest brothers."

"Huh?"

The three wielders laughed as the time went by. This had been a moment they had cherished for in their life. The night skies were enlightened by the bright lamps of the ground they were sitting on. The winds blew peacefully without the cold bothering any of them. Aqua then reminded of something.

"Oh, yeah! Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow."

"You're right. that'll be the most important moment that I'll remember in my life. The day where the best arises will come..." Terra took a deep breath before saying, "Tomorrow."

"You two are gonna make the best ones. I'm sure of it!" Ven cheered.

"Which is why..." Aqua then reached out her pocket to take out three star-shaped charms. "I made us good luck charms. Here!"

The gril threw the two charms, the red one for Terra, and the green one for Ven.

"Wow, I get one too?"

Aqua replied as she held the blue one, "Of course. One for each of us."

"Yeah! This is sweet!" Ven cheered again.

"You're the best, Aqua. Thanks a lot." Terra smiled.

"Hehehe... anytime, guys."

"Though, still... why you made stars?" Ven asked.

"Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit...and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other. Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had." Aqua explained.

Seeing how Aqua tenderly explained the charms, Terra remarked, "Oy, sometimes you are such a girl, you know that?"

"Hey, what do you mean 'sometimes'?" Aqua blurted, a little bit offended by the remark.

"Sorry, I can't help it. it's just that... we're glad to have someone like you."

"At least you could just simplify it that way."

"I'm no girl charmer, Aqua." Terra sighed.

"And that's exactly why I'm here." She sighed softly.

Ven, however, became unconvinced by the charm he was given. "Wait. So this isn't a real good luck charm?"

"Well, that's yet to be seen. But I did work a little magic on it." Aqua assured.

"Really? What is it?"

Aqua then held her charm high in the air and said...

"An unbreakable connection."

* * *

On the next day, Gentoku had finally began his investigation. He looked for more clues from the citizens who might had witnessed such strange occurings, only to find no luck on his end. The only thing he could rely on was the picture that Tsukasa gave him. It might had happened inside a disclosed alley where little to no people was seen. And just as he guessed, the place was an easy one to find.

However, there was no portal to see. he waited for a few seconds until he decided to ask his fellow Rider.

"Say, where did this Unversed come from, exactly?" Gentoku asked through his comm brace.

" _They came from what we call as the Heartverse, a world where people's hearts have a strong connection with the world's magical atmosphere. It means that the power of light and darkness dwells deep within them, and that their energy is strong, there."_ Tsukasa explained.

"And just how much do you know of this... Heartverse?"

" _I have a friend who's a wizard of that world. He had been keeping his watch over the tides of light and darkness. He goes by the name Yen Sid, and he also had some... cartoonish warriors who fought beside him."_

"Define cartoonish." Gentoku asked, unsure of what the term had become into.

" _Let's just say that some people there would remind you of a magical theme park where families usually go. And by the way, Heartverse is full of magic. So, as a word of advice, don't be surprised if you ever meet one."_ Tsukasa said.

"Okay... I'll keep that in mind." He nodded, still wondering on how a them park has anything to do with that.

Suddenly, the dark portal appeared right above him. He quickly rolled away to avoid the Unversed coming from the portal. The creature was just like what the picture had described, and that its numbers kept increasing to longer it came to be.

"There's plenty of them!" he reported.

" _Need me to back you up?"_ Tsukasa asked.

"Don't worry, I got this covered. I'll tell you if there's anything else."

" _Copy that. Tsukasa out."_

"Now then, let's see how my training pays off." Gentoku muttered as he set his Sclash Driver up.

 **DANGER!**

 **CROCODILE!**

"Henshin!"

 **WARERU! KUWARERU! KUDAKE CHIRU!**

 **CROCODILE IN ROGUE! ORAA!**

"Lot's of sacrifices, huh? Well, that just means the greater good is upon us all."

The fight had finally began. Rogue detected around 10 Unversed sighted on the scene, and it probably kept counting. He started with a drop kick the one on his right, but the creature's nimble movements enabled it to avoid his attack.

Well, this is new. But there's always a first time for everything.

Regardless, Rogue quickly threw his Steam Blade towards the monster's head, caving it in along with the other one behind it and turned them into nothingness. as Rogue attempted to retrieve his Blade, an Unversed thrusted its nail towards the Rider's Torso, followed by three others who attacked the other armor parts. By emanating a Nebula Gas burst, he was able to fend them off, though he only managed to destroy one. However, a problem began to occur when Rogue noticed some cracks on his armor from the attacks.

And they're clearly not from his own.

"Armor piercing... nasty stuffs. And they're even nastier if this stays too long." Rogue muttered.

Rogue gripped his fists and quickly retrieved his blade. He then swung them towards the remaining Unversed, skewering their bodies until there was only three of them left. However, as Rogue began to approach them, the three Unversed began to undergo a change into a much more ferocious humanoid appearance. They grew taller than before, matching a size to that of a tween human. They also grew a pair of claws and a diamond-sized head that somewhat expressed a sorrow, as senon their red sharp eyes. their colors also became green.

"They evolved!?"

The evolved Unversed swung their claws towards the Rider. He managed to dodge them by rolling away, but one of them dashed behind him and managed to land a blow at the armor's back. Sparks flew as he stumbled down to the ground. The pain suddenly stung him hard, knowing that these creatures had become something he had better not took lightly. Rogue struggled to get back on his feet, only to be struck down by the upcoming two Unversed. They landed several slashes that almost overloaded his system. That, and along with the fact that their numbers kept increasing, any hit he'd sustain would be a game over.

Then a realization suddenly hit him.

"Gotta need to end this quick!" he said as he executed his next move.

First, he took out both of his guns being the black Transteam Gun and the purple Nebulasteam Gun. He shot the increasing numbers of the Unversed using their rapid fire functions. Their numbers started to dwindle, leaving only the three evolved Unversed to deal with. Rogue then pushed down the wrench to execute his finisher.

 **CRACK UP FINISH!**

Rogue delivered some crocodile-powered strikes towards them and threw them into the portal where they came from. Finally, Rogue quickly pulled out his Crack Fullbottle and inserted it into the Nebulasteam Gun's slot.

 **CROCODILE!**

 **FUNKY SHOT! CROCODILE!**

The Rider shot a projectile of energy crocodile fangs into the portal, destroying it along with the Unversed inside it. the portal finally closed itself and the day was finally saved, thanks to Kamen Rider Rogue.

"One crocodile barbeque, ready to serve. Toxin free." Rogue stated.

The Rider had to admit that his remarks came from his time he had spent with his fellow Riders, getting him out of the tall, dark, and brooding shell he used to be in. The guilt he had from his earlier times still existed, but at least, he could let them go even if it's only a little. Speaking of barbeques anyway, he remembered that there must be a steak restaurant nearby. He was only one step away of having his leisure. Just a report to Tsukasa, and it'd all be done.

Until...

Rogue heard a slow clap coming from behind him. It came from an armored figure whose appearance was completely not of the Riderverse armor was branded with a single thorn-like emblem centered on the torso, protruding from its greaves, and wrapping around its boots. Its crown and shoulder pad were gold, while the rest of the armor was colored in light shades of blue and silver. It had two silver belts on its waist and what seemed to be white feathers on its right shoulder in place of a spiked pauldron.

Several cords crisscrossed in front of its torso, connecting a pair of baggy sleeves to massive, oblong pieces of armor worn on each arm. His faceplate was beak-like in structure and it wore clawed gauntlets. It also wore black pants underneath the armor.

The Rider somehow had the ominous feeling of this Rider, or whatever he was, might having the answer that he was seeking. Did he knew something of this? Or that he might be the cause of the previous mess?

Regardless, he turned his attention to the warrior.

 _ **"That was the most spectacular fight I've ever seen in my whole life. Never in my lifetime a warrior as fierce as you could amuse me... until now."**_ He said with a distorted, elderly voice.

"Oh, I aim to please, Mr. Good elder cosplayer." Rogue answered. "And who're you supposed to be?"

 _ **"Cosplayer? Oh no, I am none of such terms you have mentioned. As for my name, it is none of your concern. At least for now."**_ The sage answered.

"None of my concern? It looks like you have the biggest disregard towards human ethiquete, sir. And from the way you speaks, perhaps the Unversed might just ring a bell to you." Rogue remarked. He couldn't help but feeling uneasy towards the sage in front of him.

 _ **"My, how rich those words are. Coming from a man who disregards his elder."**_ The warrior taunted.

"I only demand answers, old man-ahem!-sir." Rogue demanded, mixing his direct 'old man' term with his 'modesty'. "What do you know of this Unversed?"

The warrior scoffed. _ **"Very well. Meet me at the top of that building over there tomorrow night. I will tell you everything you need to know."**_

"That building. Oh, you mean the-"

As Rogue turned his attention towards the Touto Trading Center, he turned back to see the sage leaving him behind into the dark portal he had created. This had left the Rider baffled at the sudden leave. Whoever this man is, it could be something worth the investigation. And he must be connected with this occuring.

"Touto Trading Center... yep, I'll take that as a yes." Rogue sighed in exasperation. He then blurted. "How impolite of him."

* * *

After an intense Keyblade training, the three wielders decided to take a rest as the time showed it was already midnight. They need to take a rest for what would come tomorrow. But of course, they need to take a drink first before going to bed.

"Bottled plain water coming up!" Aqua presented the bottled drinks to the boys.

"Thanks!" Ventus, who was as optimistic as he could ever be, continued to cheer on his seniors. "Trust me, you guys are ready. You're gonna clean up at the exam tomorrow."

"Well, I hope it's that easy." Terra remarked.

"It's like the Master said. Power is born within the heart. When the time is right, you just need to look inside yourself and you'll find it there." Aqua reminded.

"Honestly, Aqua... I've been wondering about it, too." Terra said.

"What do you mean?"

"When I look inside myself, what will I find there? Is it light? Or darkness? Will it be worth my effort?" Terra wondered.

"Terra..."

"I-I just... I can't help it, guys. The darkness that had been lingering inside me. I'm afraid of losing myself... and all of you."

"Shh, Terra please... I know you can fight it. you just have to believe in yourself. And as long as we're together, we'll all be fine." The girl assured.

"Aqua..."

"She's right, you know? I believe in you too!" Ven cheered. "You can do this. _We_ can do this. There's nothing to fear about."

Terra sighed in relief, knowing that his friends would know no end to support him. He complied them, "You're right. Thanks, I-I can fight it... and that's why we need to have rest for tomorrow. C'mon, let's head back."

"Hehe, way to go, big bud!" Ven cheered again at the young man, with the latter smiling at his remark.

And as for Aqua, she worked on her little magic, vowing that her dreams... and everyone's dreams will always shine bright.

"Together...always."

As the serene Keyblade wielder stared up at the night sky, the focus shifted once again towards the other night sky, where the Rogue was gazing at the beautiful sight that had blanketed the worlds.

And thus, that night would be the last one they had ever spent beneath the same stars. But little did these warriors know that tomorrow would be the day where their fates would begin crossing each other.

* * *

 _Riderverse..._

It has been an eventful day after the Unversed mess. The Rider was sitting in his apartment's balcony alone, gazing at skies and along with it the humanity's final frontier. He was wondering what would this Heartverse looked like. He also remembered about Tsukasa mentioning a strength that came from one's heart. So, if it was him, what would he make of himself there? He had been wielding a weapon that could either protect or harm people. He had done both, though he ultimately walked on the path of good thanks to his friends.

Perhaps he should start talking to Tsukasa about the worlds he had gathered the knowledge from. After all, he was also a world traveller that was blessed with the ability to tore through the fabric of reality. And it looks like, he had to have some chatter his other friends, too.

BEEP!

Ah, speak of the Devil Steam... well, get it?

Gentoku noticed a beep from his laptop's social media. He received a video call from the other Riders. They were his faithful friends: Sento, Banjou, and Kazumi. It appears that they were about to hand out their reports, and it was also about time for Gentoku to do the same. He accepted the group call.

"Gentlemen." Gentoku greeted.

"Oh hey, guys!" Sento greeted.

"Man, it's been a long day here at Hokuto." Banjou said.

"Planting crops sure get the best of him, you know?" Kazumi said.

"How're you guys doing?" Gentoku asked.

"None of us are sick, thankfully. I did my job well." Sento replied.

"You guys should know that Banjou ate lots of bananas from the crop, so much that he already pooed three times in a day." Kazumi said.

"Wha-no, you friggin' idiot! Why do you have to tell them that!?" Banjou frustrated.

"Because *snort* I, hehehe... oh my god, you guys should've seen his face when he's full of his dinner."

"Oh, c'mon! They're good! I can't help but maul them all in!"

"Don't worry about it, guys. The dragon always eat the most." Gentoku stated.

"Yeah, that-! I can't argue with." Banjou remarked as he lumped to the floor he was in.

"And here's our likeable musclebrain." Sento commented.

"You guys seems to have fun. And that leaves me here, wondering about the stars in the night. Alone. In my room." Gentoku said.

"Are you saying that you're thinking about having a soulmate?" Sento

"Wait, what?"

"Research says that most men during Saturday nights would always lament over the girls that either they have been or wanted to be with. Now that makes me wonder, Gentoku: have you had any girlfriend before?" Sento asked.

"Me? well, no I haven't. I've been busy on fighting my way through to work for the government and to achieve things that I want to have, alone. It has been my commitment not to have a girl until I've achieved enough." Gentoku stated.

"Hoo, boy... we got ourselves some real man, here. That's a good thing, Gentoku." Banjou wooed.

"Okay, I appreciate that. Not that I've been thinking on having one for now." Sento said. "Alright gentlemen, now that Tsukasa's having a business to handle in another place, he had appointed me to arrange the meeting. Now, the reports, please."

"How about we start from Mr. Tall, dark, and brooding over there?" Banjou referred to Gentoku.

"Are we really going up with this, now?" Gentoku sighed as he cleared his throat. "Alright, there's been something going on in my own end, here."

"What is it?" Sento asked.

"How does the Unversed sound to you?"

"Unversed? I knew it. those creatures are really behind this mess." Sento deduced.

"So you guys really knew about them, too." Gentoku said.

"Yeah. Tsukasa filled us all in with this intel he got, said that they came from this place called the Heartverse. Looks like we got ourselves on the same boat here. I mean, who knows when or where they'll appear next?" Banjou quipped.

"Did you face them?" Kazumi asked.

"Yeah. There was a portal that appeared on the alleys nearby the Touto Trading Center. They're fierce creatures that appears to be capable of evolving. I was able to stop them and destroy the portal, but then there's this... guy who claimed that he knew everything about them. He told me to meet him tomorrow night on that building's roof. And what's more disturbing about them... is that they were able to crack out some of my armor." Gentoku reported.

"Wait, they cracked your armor?" Kazumi asked again.

"That's weird. We didn't seem to find any difficulties in facing them, only that their numbers are very overwhelming. So much that I required a help from the local soldiers, there." Sento said.

"We got the same problem like Sento in Hokuto, but me and Banjou here are enough to mow 'em down." Kazumi reported as he patted his friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, but still, how are they even capable of evolving? We didn't see any of them doing that, or even breaking our armors apart." Banjou deduced.

"It could be that somehow the Unversed's power level that Gen faced there is much higher than ours. Maybe that's the reason why, or that someone's been arranging for this to happen." Sento deduced.

"Then it looks like I'm the unlucky one." Gentoku noted.

"So, what're you planning to do?" Kazumi asked.

"I don't see any other way than seeking the answers from that... overraged cosplayer tomorrow night." Gentoku answered.

"Cosplayer?" Banjou wondered.

"Oh, did I forgot to mention that he was wearing a fancy-whatsoever armor that we don't get to see these days? I assume it was a cosplay." Gentoku deduced.

"Huh, much like your first attempt on getting yourself banned from a fashion show." Banjou scoffed.

"It was a rhetorical sense of fashion!" Gentoku protested.

"Yeah, I don't see anything rhetorical to apply it on social life." Kazumi countered.

"How come it's not!?"

"Because, I'm gonna have to warn you, here." Sento added, stopping the comical argument from going on and on. "Gentoku, this whole thing might be a set up. If this elder has some kind of connection to the Unversed, then I assume that he might had come here prepared. You need to expect that he might have the same, or even a higher threat level than Evolto or any Blood Clan members we fought."

"Man, that guy... Somehow I get the feeling that he might be a Blood Clansman." Banjou added.

"We better not jump on conclusions first. Let's assume that he's an entirely different kind of threat." Kazumi noted.

"I'll keep that in mind." Gentoku complied.

"And about the armor-piercing problem... I'd like to work on that one, actually. But the thing is, I don't have enough data to process it. so, how about you send your data to mine? I know you can't leave Touto unprotected." Sento instructed.

"How long will the upgrade take?"

"I'm afraid it won't be done even until the next night. You're gonna have to hold on your own, there. Be careful, Gentoku."

"I understand. I'll try the best I could from here. You guys do what you can. I'm sure we all can get this done real quick." Gentoku assured as he sent the data.

And it had to be strong enough. No, _he_ had to be strong enough.

* * *

 _Heartverse..._

The scene changed to an anthromorphic, cartoonish mouse who was wearing a set of black, short garbs. He also wore a pair of white gloves. The mouse was seen standing atop a large open book sailing on top of rough water. He sailed over a large wave and fell back onto the book. Another wave came at him from the front and he's swept away in the circular current. He was then shot out of the water, having lost the book, and landed in a mysterious tower's study.

Boy, this was one unpleasant trip for our one and only Mickey Mouse.

He stood up and rubbed his head, looking sheepish as he walked over to a desk. In front f him was a stern looking wizard with a pointy hat and robes of blue looked down on him from behind it. He made a pensive noise as he sat on his desk.

"Ah, Mickey Mouse. Having another trip already?" the wizard welcomed his apperentice with his tender smile.

"Hehehe, Master Yen Sid." Mickey bowed his head to his master.

"As much as I'd like to support your quest, I can't help but always being bothered by your impetousness. Haven't I told you not to let your curiosity get the best of you?" Yen Sid warned.

"My bad." He sheepishly replied.

"Remember, while it is good for you to regain more knowledge as you travelled to the otherworlds, you must proceed so carefully. The last thing we ever wanted is to break the rules of cosmos." Yen Sid said. "Now warnings aside, how was your trip?"

"It's always fun when you have to ride on top of the magic stream."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"I've seen and passed through many of them as I was able to see their landmasses even from the skies above. However... there was this one particular red planet that still bothers me. it was located on the other side of our space. People called it Mars." Mickey explained.

"Mars? Oh, you don't say..."

The voice came from a particular man who came from a gray dimensional veil. This man was also known as the sage of the Riderverse, Tsukasa Kadoya himself. as he previously stated, he was one of Yen Sid's acquintance, and he also happened to know Mickey, as well.

"Tsukasa." Yen Sid greeted his fello warrior.

"Yen Sid. Mickey."

"You're back!" Mickey squealed as he jumped to hug the world traveller, which the latter happily returned.

"Hey there, lil' fella! how's your trip?" Tsukasa asked.

"I... happen to pass through Mars?"

"Great! That's what we're gonna talk about, here."

"Is that so?" Yen Sid skeptically asked.

"Well, if Mickey happened to pass through there, I happen to know that story that transpired on that red planet. And it might also has to do with the problem that we might face here." Tsukasa said.

"Speaking of problems, I cannot shake the feeling that something terrible is about to transpire. Perhaps the answer lies in your story, Tsukasa." Yen Sid said.

"Well then, let's have some comfy chairs and I'll fill you guys in."

As Tsukasa proposed, Yen Sid snapped his finger to summon fancy looking chairs that had enough leisure for both of the wizard's guests to sit on. From there on, Tsukasa cleared his throat and began his tale of the red planet.

"Long before the Riderverse's earth had begin its history, the red planet was known to had already begun their own. They also had the technology even beyond our reach. Until one day, a creature known as Evolto of the Blood Clan descended towards the planet's soil and caused chaos from within. He even had managed to destroy Mars' civillization, but Vernage, the Queen of Mars entrapped him inside an artifact known as the Pandora's Box, which was then found and used by humanity on Earth years later. Unfortunately, Evolto was also known to have the power to possess humans against the host's will. He had managed to get himself to Earth by possessing the astronaut who discovered the box and hitched a ride out from Mars. From that point, Evolto caused chaos by orchestrating the war between nations in order to regain his lost power to eradicate Earth. And that's where the Kamen Riders came in. They bravely stood up against the planetary threat, and emerged victorious."

"Just like how we used to end the Keyblade War!" Mickey chirped.

"True. but as you all know, I am a Kamen Rider of a completely different origin. I am the Riderverse's sage, the one who oversees their trouble and helped them if the situation is dire. And that situation happens to be taking place in this Universe."

"And what of this threat, Tsukasa?" Yen Sid asked.

"A Blood Clansman within the Keyblade Master's ranks." Tsukasa answered, much to Yen Sid and Mickey's shock.

"Blood Clan, you say?" Yen Sid wondered.

"But, Evolto was already long gone, right?" Mickey asked.

"He already is, but the Clansman can also duplicate their cells to another life form so that they can still continue their conquest. And it appears that one of them was sighted in the Riderverse. This guy also brought a new threat called the Unversed, the ones that had been plagueing the Heartverse." Tsukasa informed.

"Now that's just another bummer." Mickey frowned.

"Don't worry, I've informed my friends of this matter, as well. They would always be the ones to keep the order of Riderverse."

"Well, I admit it was relieving, Tsukasa. But that still doesn't explain the constant uneasiness that I have been feeling this whole time." Yen Sid lamented.

"I felt that too, Yen Sid. If that ever happens, then we must be ready. We never know what or how this enemy will strike next." Tsukasa stated.

"We need to have faith. Only by faith in ourselves and the light that we were able to stop the war. Now, we must believe in it again." Mickey quipped.

"You're right, Mickey. And may God help us all." Tsukasa prayed.

As the Riderverse sage gazed outside the window, three stars twinkled in the sky, which was soon followed by a new, purple-hued one that lit brighter, followed by the other three.

* * *

 _The next day..._

The day had finally arrived for the Mark of Mastery exam. Both Terra and Aqua were the candidates for the rank of Keyblade Master, while Ven watched them from the sidelines. Judging them were two elder Keyblade Masters, one was seen wearing a pair of white garbs over a black shirt, and the other was wearing a pair of black garbs over a white shirt. He was also seen wearing a pair of white gloves.

As the part of the test, the two were pitted against each other in a sparring match where it was not all about winning or losing, but the truth that would be transpired through their performances. They fought fiercely with no signs of giving in. Heck, even both Aqua and Terra shot out some elemental magics from their Keyblades. Everything seemed to go on well, until Terra felt a surge on his left hand. It was the darkness that Terra had kept away from the others, and the least thing he ever wanted to use. Shaking it off, he quickly blocked another strike from Aqua. The fight went on as the two wielders exchange blows, with the sage smiling at them besides the other master.

After minutes of sparring, Master Eraqus called off the match. And Master Xehanort remained amused.

"We have deliberated and reached a decision. Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery." Eraqus announced, causing Terra to feel dejected. "Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But, there is always next time. That is all. Aqua, as our newest Keyblade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instruction."

Master Eraqus followed Master Xehanort out from their seats, leaving Terra in a huge doubt of himself as his friends approached him to provide comfort.

"Hey..." Aqua called out.

"Terra, I'm sorry." Ven said.

"It's fine, guys." Terra assured. "But still... Where did that darkness come from?"

"How does it feel? To have the darkness right in your hand?" Aqua wondered, noticing his abnormal behavior during the fight.

"I'm not sure. It was scary, overwhelming, and... intoxicating at the same time. what's the word, mixed? Oh yeah: mixed feelings. It was all a mix. I'm not even sure where to begin from that." Terra said.

"Hey, don't put to much mind on it." Ven assured. "You were just slipped. There's nothing wrong in that."

"I don't want to end up hurting anyone, Ven. Not you, not Aqua, not anybody. That's why I have to be strong, so that I can be mindful about my own darkness." Terra stated.

"Terra... really, I wish that we could've passed together." Aqua said.

"I know, Aqua. Excuse me, but can you guys give me some space alone? I'm sorry, but I don't wanna worry any of you guys further like this."

After he bid his excuse, Terra walked away from them and outside the hall, unsure of his own credibility. Being a Keyblade Master is all he had dreamed about after all. But that hope suddenly vanished right in front of his eyes as their master chose Aqua instead. He had hoped that he never had to be given that darkness ever again.

* * *

After some discussion with Eraqus, Xehanort went downstairs where a fully black-garbed soldier awaited his presence. He was seen leaning on a wall, looking bemused.

"So, What do you make of Ventus?" Xehanort asked.

"He ain't gonna cut it. Somebody's gotta break that loser in." The soldier dejected by the boy.

"Not here, you won't. I have to keep up appearances." Xehanort walekd past the soldier by having both of his arms folded on his back.

"Oh, I know that." The soldier complied as he straightened up and put on his black helmet. "He just needs a little incentive to leave home."

"Excellent."

"What about the Rogue?" he asked.

"It appears that our agent still hasn't given me the report yet. It also depends on whether he would accept our invitation or not. After all, the plan still continues. With, or without him." Xehanort smirked as he and the soldier walked downstairs.

* * *

Outside the hall, Terra kept thinking about the darkness that had been brought out from him. During his earlier years of training, he was diagnosed with an unstable concentration of dark energy. the darkness was so much that even Master Eraqus was worried that he might fall like countless others in the history. That is why Terra was so determined to become a Keyblade Master. He wanted to kept the darkness in check until it disappeared, leaving nothing but light. However, regardless of his efforts, the darkness eventually rose out again and ruined his chance to pass the test. He couldn't help but thinking of how it all happened. After all...

"I know I'm strong enough to hold it back." He uttered out loud.

"Yes... You are indeed strong." Aster Xehanort greeted him on top of the stairs. "However, the darkness is nothing to fear."

"Master Xehanort..".

"And yet...how frustrating that Eraqus refutes its power." the Master dejected. "Why, you could train with him forever and still...you'd never be a Master in his eyes."

"But why? Help me understand, Master Xehanort. What is it that I have failed to learn?" Terra asked the Master.

"You are fine as you are. After all, darkness cannot be destroyed. It can only be channeled." Xehanort assured as he walked past the wielder and waved his arm to him.

"Yes. Thank you, Master."

After Xehanort had finally found a disclosed place of the Land of Departure, he opened the portal gate by snapping his fingers. It was almost time, and he had an arrangement to attend.

"Now then, it is time you to make up your mind, Gentoku."

* * *

Gentoku had finally arrived in front of the building's entrance. He had already sent his reports to his superior. He fearlessly marched in towards the promised place. It was clear that he always wanted to prove himself that he was a capable Kamen Rider. That, and he also sought penance for the errors he had done along his way.

As he walked inside the building's lift and waited for it to reach to the top, he began to reminisce some of his past.

By the time he was hit by the Pandora's Box' light, he began to grow an overwhelming anxiety that those who would acquire the box will overthrow everything. The one who possessed it would kill everyone and lastly, himself. Driven by such fear, he had encouraged Touto's Prime Minister, his own father, to quickly acquire and weaponize the said box and used its essence so that they may be able to defend their own country and unite Japan once again. However, his father denied such request, knowing that a peaceful approach towards the unity is a first and foremost.

Becoming impatient, he began to go a series of changes in his way of thinking. From countless times of convincing to running an underground organization of Faust by making a deal with the 'devil', turning humans into monsters, and even defecting to another country so that he may fulfill his desire to rule the world. No matter what he did during the early warring period, he always messed it all up.

But alas, the truth was that he sought unity through his beloved father's peaceful approach, by becoming the villain so that he could give his power to his father. He too, desired love and peace of, by, and for the people.

And by the time his mission failed with his father died protecting him of a lethal strike, the Riders who had fought forsuch ideal encouraged him to fight once again, and restored his faith to himself. from that moment, he vowed to make the world a better place, no matter where he is and what has become of him. He shall become the darkness that the light casted. He shall become the law, an example for those whose hearts filled with greed, that he will come for them no matter what.

And that time shall come... now.

As the lift let out a ding once he had reached the top floor, he strutted his way out to look for the warrior. But it wouldn't be long for Gentoku to find the man he was looking for rising out of the shadows.

 _ **"So, you decided to come. I am truly grateful for your time."**_ the warrior chuckled darkly.

"Answers. Now." Gentoku demanded with a neutral tone.

 ** _"The Unversed, magnificent creatures. They are what you would want to consider as a new form of life being. They lacked sentience, yes, but their power is... unique, I must say. They had taken my interests, and I plan on letting them scourge the people's hearts, so that I may fulfill my ambition."_ **The warrior pridefully explained.

"So they're nothing but your lab rats, huh?" Gentoku retorted. "And your ambition?"

 ** _"Why of course, to rule over the hearts I have collected! You see, there was this legend, of a collective of people's hearts gathered into one single powerful energy beyond human comprehension. It is called the Kingdom Hearts. And I'll make sure that every world falls under my rule!"_** the warrior exclaimed.

Somehow, Gentoku knew that this man was not joking around. He could feel the same ominous aura before, only this time, it became much bigger until there was a recognizable element that was too familiar to him to overlook. But, when and where he had sensed it before?

No matter, he had it all enough. He needed to end this and-

 _ **"And I want you to join me in my crusade, for you are the one that I had been looking for... Gentoku Himuro."**_

Wait, what?

"How did you know my name!?" Gentoku growled.

 ** _"How do you think, Rogue?"_** the warrior replied. **_"The Blood Clan always shares the memories of the worlds they have either overtaken or eradicate. And our powers grew rapidly strong as we share this unbreakable connection."_**

"You? A Blood Clansman?" the Rider shooked out.

 _ **"Correct. And you shall be my heir. Ever since I stumbled upon this world after Evolto's death, I began to take an interest in you. I dug through his memories, to find that you are the perfect candidate indeed. The one who had tasted the darkness firsthand, and came back alive even after it took your soul away... you are the exiled knight that I could ever wish for! Join me, Kamen Rider Rogue. I have a perfect place just for you."**_

A calamity and a Blood Clansman. Yes, they were all connected.

The warrior he saw must be a mere remnant of what was left of his old nemesis, the true manipulator of the Pandora War. Like the Kamen Riders, Evolto also fought his way in to regain his lost, immense power to either rule or destroy worlds. Even a small part of him could be a threat if this remnant shared his same ambition for dominance. Normally, he would expect his other friend to come in as the latter was also of the same origin, but he was not there with him.

Regardless, there was no need to worry for him. The warrior's act was a surprise to him no more. He had seen many power-hungry pricks, formerly him included,

"Okay, now hold it just right there." Gentoku replied.

 ** _"Oh?"_**

"It seems that you're not digging deep to know enough what I've actually become in these days. Now listen here, you overaged cosplayer, I have completely be rid of my desire and hunger for power. I have been reborn as the warrior who strives for a better future as the shadow that the light casts. And my resolve... is love and peace." Gentoku denied.

 _ **"Love and peace is only a fairy tale, Gentoku. You should know that the world is never filled with sunshine and rainbows like in a children's book."**_ The warrior dejected.

"Of course I know that. I am no fool for not noticing such thing. But, to believe in that and people's hope is never a sin." The Rider said. "Now, could you please drop your act and stop whatever more things you're doing? There won't be any need for us to cause anymore bloodsheds."

 ** _"Hmm... it seems the negotiation is failed."_** The warrior said as he snapped his finger to summon what appeared to be a standard-type Guardian android, only for them to had an appearance akin to that of an Unversed, and their chest emblazoned a heart-shaped logo that seemed to belong to theirs. They also had a pair of sharp eyes that showed a neutral expression. On each of their right hand was the standard-issue Guardian rifle that merged on the said arm, and the bayonet's shape was distorted further.

"Guardians!? How did you get your hands on them!?"

 _ **"Did you forget? I am a Blood Clansman. And I'd like to see how far your beliefs will get you to."**_ The warrior challenged for an unavoidable battle.

"A bloodshed it is. fine. I'll make sure to squeeze everything from you once I get you into lockdown." Gentoku challenged as he prepared his Sclash Driver and Crocodile Crack Fullbottle.

 **DANGER! CROCODILE!**

"Henshin!"

 **KURERU! KUWARERU! KUDAKE CHIRU!**

 **CROCODILE IN ROGUE! ORAA!**

"Prepare yourself, mongrel. For you are the sacrifice." Rogue declared.

 _ **"Guardians. Dispose of him."**_ The warrior ordered the androids.

The U-Guardians opened fire towards the Rider and he simply walked towards them, ignoring the bullets that hit his armor. Rogue retaliated by taking out his Transteam Gun and shot the enemies back. He managed to hit three of the U-Guardians' rifles and blew them up. After the formation was broke, Rogue relentlessly fought against the other hostiles. Using his sharp claws and spikes, Rogue tore their bodies to shreds. He even caved his Transteam Gun into a U-Guardian's chest and used it as a meat... or metal shield as he fired the others.

What disturbed him was thet when his blast hit the warrior, it was perished by a dark aura that kept him away from harm. Which means that he could be heavily fortified. Ignoring the warrior for a moment, Rogue took out his Transteam Blade and dual-wielded his weapons by mixing his close and long-ranged combat. This enabled him to destroy more U-Guardians from nearby and afar. And in a relatively short time, he had cleaned off the U-Guardians.

"You're next, gramps."

The warrior laughed darkly as he was amused by Rogue's display of strength. Rogue quickly stayed on alert as he noticed the man walking in unarmed. Rogue stroke him first with a heavy swing of the Transteam Blade and just as he had predicted, the warrior defended himself with the dark aura again. The Rider then decided to quickly strike him again. This time, he went below the warrior's body where his legs stood, swiping it off with his other hand. However, that part too, was being blocked again. Knowing that a hit or two wouldn't be enough, Rogue delivered a wild hit barrage, constantly switching from his weapons to his feet to deliver more damage. The warrior broke out of his defense and used his bare hands to block every single oncoming strikes from the Rider. He also seemed to had hit some of Rogue's armor points without much consent from the Rider and channeled his dark energy into his palm and bursted it out into Rogue's torso, pushing the Rider away from him.

As Rogue held his stand once again, he began to notice some of his armor parts cracking. Heck, even some bits of them fell down, much to his shock. He quickly recalled some of the earlier events. Could it be that these were from the U-Guardians' gunshots? No. They can't be anymore destructive than that. His Rider armor was further enhanced to endure the rifle's firepower. Not even a single blast could teari it apart.

Unless...

These U-Guardians had some kind of delayed damage effect that took seconds to work. Or, it could be that the sage somehow knew the cracked spots and managed to make them bigger. Either way, Rogue couldn't possibly win this like a cake walk.

"H-how did you-?"

 ** _"There's the prove of your weakness, Rogue. Join me, and you'll become much stronger than that."_**

"Urk... like hell I would!"

Rogue retaliated by throwing more and more hits that unfortunately, the warrior could predict. He was still using his own bare hands to either block or strike the Rider. The sage also gave out a massive dark energy pulse that further cracked Rogue's Rider armor. his right shoulder guard and some of his left knee pad came off, revealing its machineries inside. His dark power was frightening enough to make Rogue doubted his next moves, worrying that he could do more throrough than this.

 ** _"Do you still need further enlightenment? Or should I say... endarkenment, if you catch my drift?"_** the warrior chuckled by his own attempt of joke. It had been like forever since he felt so... joyful.

Regardless, Rogue had no time to worry, anyway. He needed to get the job done, or else he'd miss his Sunday night chill.

Chill. Yes, he needed to chill his head first. If Rogue couldn't beat him with his strength alone, then he needed to play smart. The sage might be a strong opponent with the darkness backing him up, but nevertheless, he was not invincible. There has got to be some blind spot that even he wouldn't notice. An opening of some sort, no matter how small it is.

And at times like this, what would Sento say?

"Very well. Let's begin the experiment."

Rogue pressed the button on his Transteam Blade's rear grip to separate it into two parts. He attached one to the back of his Transteam Gun and the other as the muzzle attachment, forming a rifle.

 **RIFLE MODE!**

The Rider then charged the sage head on, delivering a simple Rider Kick without any enhancements. The warrior easily blocked his attack with his dark aura barrier. however, he suddenly began to notice that Rogue used the barrier as his stepping stone to jump and roll back. He then shot a couple of condensed steam rounds that that tore through the barrier and grazed the unsuspecting sage's sleeve, much to his suprise. It seems that the sage's barrier was also generated from his concentration. An unorthodox fighting style might work this whole problem out like a math formula.

And there he was, closer to become a genius physicist... or a math genius, at least.

Seeing the trick had worked, Rogue decided to use another approach. This time, he continuously shot powerful rounds from his Transteam Rifle. Despite the early distraught, the warrior was still able to defend himself with his barrier, only for Rogue to shove his rifle's bladed muzzle through and injured the sage's shoulder. He quickly threw him some hits before the sage could generate the barrier again. The two of them clashed for some time, with the sage worrying on his disadvantage. And just as he was too focused on Rogue's assault, the Rider took the chance of taking out his Nebulasteam Gun and shot the man's abdomen. He then ended his barrage with a heavy side kick to the enemy's head, effectively taking him down.

And finally, "The law of victory has been decided. And that's your loss."

Rogue inserted his Crocodile Crack Fullbottle and twisted the blade's valve three times and inserted his Crocodile bottle to its slot, activating a new command for the rifle.

 **DEVIL STEAM!**

 **FULLBOTTLE! STEAM ATTACK!**

Rogue shot a big pruple energy ball that detonated upon contact with the warrior. The explosion then formed a crocodile jaw that bound him, slowly crushing him as he barely held himself with the dark barrier. of course, Rogue won't let his chance slip away. He put the bottle back to his Sclash Driver and executed its finisher.

 **CROCODILE!**

 **CRACK UP FINISH!**

With the crocodile-reinforced scissor kick, Rogue further pressed his own bind towards the warrior, further crushing the latter until his boots reached his body and flunged him back a few meters. The match had finally been decided with Rogue as its victor.

"Playtime's over, old man. I'm turning you in, now. And I'm afraid, you're gonna also have to pay the bills for the damage you did to my armor." Rogue stated as he slowly heard the increasing laughter from the sage that he had defeated.

"Oh Come now, I didn't even tickle you or anything." He said again.

 ** _"Ahahaha! Oh my, you... you know what? You have just amused me in the way that my old friend never could! I have never felt so *snicker*... excited like this in my whole life! I really like you, Kamen Rider Rogue, and I am not even going to lie to you!"_**

Rogue sighed. "Alright gramps, we can talk about it to each other more at the police station, so let's-!"

His hand was suddenly being held off by a newly-conjured U-Guardian. Rogue quickly shoved it away, but he was being held back by another U-Guardian, and their number kept increasing as they held him away from reaching the sage.

"What the hell did you do!?"

The warrior spoke as he healed himself up with his dark magic and regained his stand. **_"Truth to be told, I've been doing nothing but holding back so I can see what you truly are and what you're capable of. And from what I've seen... you are this world's greatest darkness, an intriguing one, even."_**

"Darkness?" Rogue asked, but was hit by a realization that it was true, in regards of his past. "Well, yeah. So?"

 _ **"That is the reason why I am so infested in you. You have decided to walk the path of light and yet, you're still using the same darkness that you had selfishly brought along. You could've been my greatest asset, Gentoku. Your darkness will prove to be beneficial for my plan. But if I have to obtain such power... it must be rid of you first."**_ The sage said as he snapped his finger.

"Huh?"

The U-Guardians that held him began to torch themselves with a purple light. Once it got brighter, they exploded and flung Gentoku away. His armor was almost destroyed by the cracks it received, and much to his shock, he felt a sudden thrust to his buckle, coming from a strange looking sword that was connected to his Driver. The warrior pulled the sword and vertically slashed the Rider, which completely destroyed his armor along with the Driver belt that empowered it. the broken armor parts began to dissipate into yellow mist. As Gentoku held his head up once again, he witnessed his enemy picking up his dropped arsenals.

"I-it can't be..." Gentoku muttered. At this rate, it was impossible for him to retaliate, and he couldn't afford another loss of his weapon. He quickly crawled into his dropped Nebulasteam Gun, storing it away by turning the gun into a yellow mist without the warriors's notice as he was still busy inspecting the Steam Rifle.

 _ **"Such ingenious technology this world has. I think I'll keep it."** _The warrior said.

"I... I won't let you!"

Thus with the rainfalls, it finally brings us to this moment...

 ** _"The power you have is truly fascinating. No wonder why Evolto had been putting such a big interest in you. It was unfortunate that you had to waste such potential with the strength you have now."_** The warrior contemplated.

"What do you really want from me!?" Gentoku growled.

 _ **"I simply want to draw out your hidden strength. The one that you had been keeping so long without even you noticing it. there is a world where your existence would mean something big... and I want you in there."**_

"So that you could threaten mine? Oh, no. That's not gonna happen." Gentoku denoted.

 _ **"Who says that I would threaten your world, hmm?"**_ the warrior questioned.

"What!?"

 _ **"I have nothing but little interest in this world, just so you know. At least for this moment, my world is my one and only concern. And you have already proven your unworthiness to me. I shall throw you off into the depths of abyss myself."**_

"No, you don't!"

Gentoku attempted to land a hit towards the sinisterous sage. The latter blocked his weakened punch effortlessly as the fight continued. Despite his appearence, the elder was swift enough to land powerful blows to the Rider's body and kicked him towards the edge of the building. He had no choice but to cling on to his own life, praying that someone would prevail his plans for him.

 _ **"No matter how you will prevail, In the end, darkness will always fill the world."**_ The warrior threatened.

"Is it?"

 _ **"Hmm?"**_

"You kept on blabbering about how darkness will rule the world. Just so you know, old man... both of them are connected to each other. they can't coexist with out each other. and you claim that one must have the power over the other? heh... aren't you the greedy one?" he gloated.

 _ **"Connected to each other? heheheh..."**_ the warrior chuckled. _ **"You know, I've also been thinking about the same thing. Like I told you, we will both have the satisfaction that we need if we join forces. Last chance, Rogue. Will you join me or not?"**_

"I told you already... I'm through with it." The Rider denied.

 _ **"What!?"**_

"I'm not the one... who wants rule over the chaos I brought upon. I won't repeat the same mistake I did... ever again. And you, Evolian... you're nothing but a fool." Gentoku gloated.

 _ **"How dare you-!"**_ the warrior growled in anger as dark aura emanated wildly from him, but he decided to remain in his original composure and kept his emotions in check. _**"But, well... you may always claim that you are the righteous darkness, but I doubt that they would believe in you."**_

The warrior then summoned a dark, swirling portal below the building. Gentoku had absolutely no knowledge of what would become of him should he fall to there, and that he knew that the elder was planning on doing so. If this is his end, then so be it.

"Th-the hell...!?"

 ** _"But, since you've managed to amuse me, I may as very well tell you my name: my name is No Heart."_**

"No... Heart..."

 _ **"And this will be the moment where you begin anew... or to meet your doom."**_

The warrior said as he sled a particular black and golden bat-faced bottle into the gun's slot.

Wait, what did he mean by begin anew?

Who are the people he was referring to?

And again, how the heck did he got his hands on that bottle!?

 **BAT! STEAM BREAK!**

A dark energy beam was being shot at the Rider, throwing him off the building. The dark portal swallowed him in a blink of an eye. That night would be the one that Gentoku remembered, and dreaded for the rest of his life. He dreaded it for not being able to stop the enemy and even got himself killed by his own weapon. But alas... he could finally paid his years of wrongdoings. He still had many powerful friends to defeat No Heart, and perhaps, the world is better off without a man like him. Let this be a lesson for those who sought chaos and the power over it, that no matter what they would do, their end is inevitable.

But still, does remembering it matters anymore? He had finally meet his own end.

* * *

 _Heartverse..._

Terra was still contemplating about his loss at the Mark of Mastery. He kept on wandering the Land of Departure to assess his problem and calm his own mind at the same time. suddenly, bells rang from around the hall and Terra quickly responded by running up the hall's stairs to meet up with the others inside, who were both Aqua and Master Eraqus. The two were discussing the next agendas after Aqua's ascension, but the bells startled them. A light also appeared behind the three wooden chairs and Eraqus turned to it.

"What is that?" Eraqus wondered.

"What happened?" Terra asked.

"I don't know. Why isn't Ven here?" Aqua wondered too.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ventus lied on the bed in his room, swinging an old wooden Keyblade. Said Keyblade was a memento of Terra's as his name was etched on the blade's hilt. He too, was alerted by the sound of the ringing bells. Curious, he went on to check outside.

However...

"Better hurry, Ventus..."

"Huh? Who are you?" Ven looked to the masked soldier who was leaning on the bookshelf.

"Or you'll never see Terra again."

"What? Get real. I can see Terra anytime I want." Ven dejected.

"Like right now? He's leaving you behind. And by the time you catch up...he'll be a different person." The soldier remarked.

"Look-whoever you are-you don't know the first thing about Terra. Me and him will always be a team. You trying to pick a fight or what?" the young wielder threatened.

"Oh, grow up already." the soldier bemoaned. "Is that what you call friendship? You'll never know the truth unless you go out and look for it yourself. Come on, what could you possibly know when you're stuck here, looking at nothing but what's in your tiny world?"

Screw that guy! Screw him and his lies!

But... Ven suddenly had his mind flashed back to his earlier years. Terra had always been nothing but kind to him. Even when he yelled at him for a petty mistake he made, Terra would never abandon him and Aqua. After all, being a Keyblade Master is all about wisdom, and Terra would go for any lengths to attain that so that everyone can be happy.

So what if all those things suddenly changed? What if they would never happen again?

"Terra!"

And so, the young Keyblade Wielder scattered out from his room to see if his friend was okay.

* * *

As he fell inside the portal, Gentoku could feel the darkness enveloping him, and the despair overtaking his mind. He had no means of getting himself to safety, nor the tools to do so. All he saw in his mind were the memories of his own, chaotic past. From making a deal with the Faust himself to throwing away his vengeance in order to become the ultimate warrior. He remembered how horrible he was, how he had betrayed his own vow to make his country a better place, and how he eventually became a Kamen Rider himself. so much remorse, so much regrets, all flooded his dying mind.

But then, he looked past through that to see a group of warriors fought fiercely in a location he had yet to know. They were wearing armors, unfamiliar to that of a Kamen Rider, and he helplessly watched them fall at the hands of the one and only sage who had casted him into the depths of abyss. It felt like he knew these people long ago. He understood their pain. He wanted to help them. He wanted to save them.

But he couldn't.

Now, let the man asks himself:

Would he let this happen?

Would he be okay with it?

Would it be fine to just die and helplessly watch the world falls!?

Would it be fine to let his friends die!?

"Like... hell it is!"

There, he felt like his mouth moved against his own volition. This should've been his end. And yet, he voiced it out anyway. A spark grew inside his very own heart. His passion was burning. He shouldn't die yet! Not like this!

"There is still someone out there who needs my help, and their world is about to fall! I musn't let that happen! I must rise against the great evil and save the day once again! For I am a Kamen Rider!" he took a deep breath to roar out his name in the depths of the eternal darkness itself.

A dark spark grew out from the Rider's body. Along with it emanated a bright golden light. Both of these contradicting elements circled his body with the same rythm, each encased Gentoku's body one part after another. Both of the light and the darkness gave him pieces of black armor that encased the golden light on his body. From the legs, the arms, the torso, until his head. Finally, the elements gave him a new belt device.

"I am... Kamen Rider Rogue!"

And after that, everything went black for he had the same fate as a phoenix does:

for there is death, there will be a rebirth.

* * *

"So here we are. I need you two to get this situation under control. Eliminate the Unversed, and find Master Xehanort. I have unlocked the Lanes Between. You may use these forbidden pathways to travel between this world and countless others. The darkness looms closer than usual within these spaces, but your armor will protect you. Lastly, remember that order must be kept. You cannot tell anyone there are other worlds. Now go, and fulfill your duty." Eraqus debriefed.

"Yes, Master." Both Aqua and Terra complied.

However, Eraqus suddenly held Terra back and called him out. "Terra. Consider this an opportunity. A second chance for you to change my mind."

"What?"

"You must know, I care for you like my own son. If I could have my way, I would name you Master in a second. But, how can I, when you are so obsessed with power? Terra, you mustn't be afraid of losing. Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the darkness. You must never forget." Eraqus reminded as he placed his hand on his disciple's shoulder.

Terra bowed. "Thank you, Master. I swear...I will not fail you again."

"Master, I'd best be on my way." Aqua started to leave as Ven ran before her.

"Wait, Aqua. Before you depart, I have one other... Well, call it a request, of the utmost priority." Eraqus requested.

"Yes?"

"I told Terra this could be a second chance to show the Mark of Mastery...and I meant it. However, that flicker of darkness he displayed during the examination-I can sense it runs very deep. If he were to-If those powers were to prove too much for him to handle, I want you to bring him back to me at once. It's for his own good. I could not bear to lose any of you to the darkness." He explained.

"Of course. I would never let that happen. I promise you I will bring Terra back. Only this time, you'll see he has what it takes to be a Master." Aqua assured as she gazed towards the stained-glass window, with light pouring in from outside. There, she uttered the very statement that she wished to be true.

"He's not as weak as you think."

* * *

Ventus wasted no time to give his friend a chase. He wanted to make sure that nothing bad happened to him. He kept on wishing that the soldier's words were never true, and that Terra would never abandon him. Aqua could only watch the two meet each other on the stairs.

"Terra!" he called out.

"Huh?"

"I...I-"

"It's okay." Terra assured, ruffling the boy's head.

As Terra was about to press the button on his spaulder, a thunder crack was heard from above the sky on a farther lane. There, they saw a gate with an immense darkness sprouting out from it. falling out from the portal was a man in an armor that showed no signs of moving. When the figure hit the ground, which turned out to be the lane where the trio usually hang out, it caused a massive gush of wind that blowed throughout the Land of Departure and a loud crack that could be heard in the wielders' location.

From the gate, came upon a malicious dark storm that spreaded throughout the land, engulfing it in lightnings and a strong wind current.

"W-whoa!" Ven held on his stand.

"Is that a... man?" Terra wondered.

"Come on, we should check on him!" Aqua suggested, quickly rushing to the scene without any second thought.

"Terra, let Aqua assess this situation herself! you must continue your quest through the Lanes Between!" Eraqus instructed.

"But, Master-"

"We can hold on our own here. Now go!" the Keyblade Master emphasized.

As Terra was about to repeat his previous action, a realization suddenly hit him like a flash. Somehow, he felt that in the said Lanes Between, there was a strong darkness lurking inside it, and that they would come out of it soon. it would prevent him from entering it alone, unlike what he usually did during his training. Terra then stopped at his tracks, believeing that Aqua was right to check on the fallen soldier. He then refrained from his action.

"No, Master. It's the gate, I... I can't go in there. It won't let me."

"Why not?" Eraqus asked.

"Because there's a man who really needs our help. he might be hurt, dying, or... I don't know! I should go to him and give the help that he needs!" Terra stated as he quickly ran towards the sme direction of Aqua's.

"I'll go, too!" Ven volunteered, but...

"No. Stay put, Ven." The Master instructed.

However, the two had no time to stay still for there were a dozens of Unversed spawning their position. in response, Eraqus summoned his Keyblade to fend them off from Ventus. He swung his weapon like it was a lightweight stick, displaying his Keyblade mastery skills. He also used some of his light magic to eradicate a large number of them. Ven watched his fight in an awe as he was also longing to become a Master like he did.

"Ven, find a shelter! Get yourself to safety!" he ordered again.

"Y-yes master!" Ven complied as he ran off until he was aout of his master's sight.

However, he lied. He had a Keyblade of his own. And thus, he must fight.

* * *

Gentoku slowly opened his eyes after the impact hit his body. He found himself lying in the cracked ground with his body slowly healing himself from the impact he received until he was able to get himself to sit down. He looked at his hands that were covered in a particular black armor piece of his world's origin. He touched his helmeted head, inspecting the structures it had. He also looked to his other body parts that were also covered in a new set of armor that saved his life. If not for the said armor cushioning his fall, he would at least not be able to walk for weeks or worse, dead.

"Check armor status." He commanded.

The Heads-Up Display on his helmet was activated. He looked at the full-body view of his armor, which were mashed-up from the armors he was familiar with. His helmet, torso, upper arm, and thigh parts were the ones that he used on his earlier days of Pandora War. He remembered naming himself "Night Rogue" while in that armor, particularly having a bat-like motif in some of its parts. However, this one didn't have any of that.

His helmet was visorless, revealing its inner parts that looked like a regular iron mask with a pair of yellow eye-like visors. He also remembered that the said old helmet also had a single tube-like horn. This one didn't, replaced by a circular yellow lamp. His heart-like chestpiece emblazoned a new symbol of a fancy-shaped heart with a small key inside it, and was encased inside a gear. All of them were yellow-colored. His thigh armors also had some bolts like how they used to.

Another big diference was that his shoulder guards, gauntlets, and boots were shaped like the other armor he used to know, particularly came from another Kamen Rider of his world whose codename was "Build". They were shaped like spirals. However, unlike Build's diagonal style, the said armor parts were all symmetrical, giving them an edgy look. And unlike them his gloves were all clawed ones like what he used to had in his late Croc armor.

One of the most notable piece he saw was his newly-obtained black Driver belt. it had a chrome yellow star-shaped gear that was connected to a yellow-gripped lever. The driver also had another two gears bellow the big one. There were also chrome yellow molds and orange, green, and blue wires that reminded him of his old Transteam Gun. It also had two bottle slots in the middle and a grip on its left side.

It was a variant of Build Driver, and it hadn't even had a trademarked name, yet!

Perhaps, Rogue would work well with this.

As he attempted to get back to his feet, he noticed a girl rushing to his location. Judging from the location and their outfits, it seems that he was already somewhere out of Japan. Beyond Japan, even.

"Who are you?" Aqua asked the Rider while staying on alert at the same time.

"I could ask you the same thing." Rogue turned his head towards the girl.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"I... I'm fine. I just had the most unpleasant bungee jumping of my life." He remarked.

"Bungee jumping? You mean falling off from the skies?" Aqua asked, unsure of what term the warrior was using.

"That's a poetic way of saying it." he commented.

"Yeah..." she tenderly agreed until dhe brushed it off to get the grasp of the reality. "Wait, no, you fell off from the Lanes Between! What did you do? And... what are you doing here?" Aqua corrected.

"As much as I'd like to answer that..." he said. "I believe we have a company."

Just like he said, a large number of Unversed spawned on the area. Some of them came from another direction, surrounding the two warriors. Aqua had her Keyblade ready and Rogue held his Nebulasteam gun high. No holds will be barred from them, and the battle is upon their reach. Their fates had already crossed. All that is left for them is to fight through it.

This is where the tale begins.

* * *

 **(A/N)**

 **Greetings! And welcome to my new Fanfic, Kingdom Hearts: The Rogue's Key!**

 **Now that I have this chance, I'd like to tell you that I'm also a fan of Kingdom Hearts since I was in Pre-School! (I'll explain it further in my status later** **) all I can say for now is that Kingdom Hearts is the first game that I got myself infested to its story. I love its world-building aspects and how they depicted the Light and Darkness as opposing forces.**

 **Now then, what does Kamen Rider Rogue has anything to do with this? It's because that I think Gentoku Himuro is also an intriguing character from Kamen Rider Build (sides from Evolto, my favorite villain), seeing how he turned his side 180 degrees. He had sided with the darkness (initial villain) and even exploited its powers, but he eventually walked on the path of light (heroic ally) as the man he used to be before the Pandora War. I'd like to explore his character as he sets foot on the literal war between light and darkness.**

 **Oh, and speaking of terms, Heartverse is how I depicted KH in this fic. Also, Rogue's new armor is a combo of his old Night Rogue and Kamen Rider Build's parts, if you're still wondering.**

 **And that's how I came upon the unthinkable; to strip Rogue's original powers off from him and get him a new one. How will he adapt with his new powers? What will become upon our heroes as they face the impending chaos?**

 **Please leave your comments below and remember, BE CONSTRUCTIVE.**

 **Until next time.**


	2. Gate 2: The Guiding Key

Gate 2: The Guiding Key

Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider and Kingdom Hearts as they both belong to their respective owners.

* * *

 _Rogue's Journal #1_

 _My name is Gentoku Himuro._

 _You may also know me as Kamen Rider Rogue, the warrior of the realm known as Riderverse._

 _For years I have been fighting for a just cause, whereas love and peace is our utmost justice to preserve the world's order. There were monsters of our own making, and a alien that manipulates everything from behind the bars. Then, another adversary has come to invade our world. They are the Unversed, creatures born of and feeding off the negative energy of the living. They came from the realm of Heartverse, where people's hearts have a strong connection between the light and the darkness._

 _That night, a warrior called No Heart appeared before me. initially, he offered me to join him with the darkness, but I, of course, denied it. at the end of his bargain, he shot me down into a dark portal before I could get more answers from him._

 _I thought it was the end of me, but it seems that I was told that my journey had yet to be finished. There was this kind of drive that told me about the apocalypse that was bound to happen should I do nothing. I knew that sooner or later, my world will be the next to be purged. I knew I have to save it. And it has been a Kamen Rider's job to do it._

 _And to quote a movie I had just seen nights ago: "For there is an end, there will always be a beginning."_

* * *

 _ **Rogue /roʊɡ/:**_

 _ **a person, organization, or country that does not behave in the usual or acceptable way:**_

 _ **ex. : Kamen Rider Rogue**_

* * *

The overwhelming numbers of the Unversed surrounded the two heroes. They consisted of Floods and U-Guardians. The two had their weapons set and they were waiting for the right moment to strike.

"My name's Aqua. You?"

"You can call me Rogue for now. And I've got some unfinished business with these freaks." He introduced.

"So you're not the one calling them." Aqua stated.

Rogue shot a U-Guardian on the head and countless other Floods by spreading his shots. Two more U-Guardians hit him with their bladed arm rifles, but Rogue's armor was sturdy enough to sustain the hits he received. Rogue then grabbed the said arm rifles, bringing in their heads so that he could smash both of them into each other. their heads were shattered as they disappeared into black mist. Rogue then aimed his gun towards the Flood that was about to lunge the wielder from behind, startling her for a bit until she knew why.

"No, I'm not." He answered. "And I mean no harm."

"Not the most subtle way of saying it." she blurted.

Rogue chuckled, "Can you keep up?"

The Keyblade Wielder swung her weapon into the Floods. Her fighting style was the one that the Rider had never seen back in his world. The way she swung her Keyblade and flowing from one enemy to another were all mixed up in both harmony and grace, something that he might had seen in fantasy sci-fi franchises. She even did some acrobatics such as flips, dodges, and mid-air attacks as she navigated through the battlefield. At some point, she shot some ice magic that froze the enemies and even blocked the U-Guardian's rifle blasts. The frozen Unversed were then being shattered after they were hit by her Keyblade. And finally, she froze a U-Guardian that Rogue had just spotted just right on his back.

It was the most sureal view even for the battle-hardened Kamen Rider himself. he couldn't help but to feel amazed by her performance.

"You have no idea." She gloated.

"Well, I'll be damned..." Rogue muttered, smashing the frozen U-Guardian with his fist.

Form that point, the two began to combine their efforts to thwart off the Unversed. Rogue continued firing his Nebulasteam Gun as Aqua closed in to attack more and more Unversed. At another point, Rogue took the turn to strike the enemies close as Aqua shot several magic spells, mostly being ice shots. The two worked in harmony on both close and long range, taking turns of switching their fighting ranges from one another.

For a moment, Rogue wished that he still had his Steam Blade or something blade-ish to tear the monsters apart. Which made him thought; what was the weapon Aqua hold? It was indeed a blade, but it eerily shaped like a... key. Perhaps Keyblade might be the right word to describe it? whatever it is, perhaps it would worth getting his hands on one.

"Say, are you a Keyblade Wielder?" Aqua asked.

"Keyblade? You mean that weapon of yours?"

"Yeah."

"I knew it. it's called a Keyblade." Rogue muttered, having his guess to be right. "No, and I wish I could get one."

"Not now, you won't!"

Another figure stepped in towards the battlefield. It turned out to be Terra, who was wielding a much heavier looking Keyblade. And just like the weapon, Terra swung it much harder than a usual swordsman would do, evidenced by how he tore a U-Guardian in half with one fell swoop.

"Terra!" Aqua called out.

"Only the chosen ones are able to wield the Keyblade properly. Not to be rude, but I don't think you look the part... yet." Terra informed, slashin another Unversed that came to his way.

"Yeah, not that I want to snatch it out from someone's closet or anything. Terra, right?" Rogue chimed as he shot a U-Guardian.

Terra chuckled for a moment. "And you are?"

"Rogue." He introduced as he punch a Flood in its face.

* * *

Ventus was still on his way to reach his friends, making his way through dozens of the Unversed horde with his Keyblade. He also specialized in wind-based attacks, floating seamlessly from one location to another while swiping the Floods off with his weapon slash. However, the wielder came upon an adversary in form of the black soldier.

"You're the culprit behind all of this, aren't you!?" Ven interrogated.

"And I've been expecting you, Ventus." The soldier welcomed.

"Well, then. Expect this!"

Ven swung his sword towards the soldier, only to be blocked by the latter's bare hand. It was also empowered by dark energy, a force equivalent to that of Ven's disposal. Not willing to give in, Ven continued his assault against him. The two traded hits , with the soldier still not willing to pull out his weapon, assuming that he had one. However, Ven's tactics were hindered by the overwhelming presence of the Floods, which scattered his focus and gave the soldier many opportunities to strike back. The soldier swept the wielder's Keyblade away, sending several punches and a roundhouse kick that knocked Ven out.

The soldier was displeased by Ven's performance. "Weak. You're still much weaker than I expect you'd be."

"Wh-what did you say!?" Ven growled.

"And that's one way to kill my mood for today. Well, I'll get back to you once you piled up more of those guts of yours." The soldier said. "But, since you've managed not to run away from the fight, I might as well give you my name."

"You're not getting away with all of this! I'll make sure of that!" Ven declared.

"Hmph. My name is Vanitas. And you're welcome to try."

And just with that, Vanitas walked through the dark gate and vanished, leaving Ven to deal with the Unversed himself. however, Ven quickly reminded himself that he still had his friends to help out.

"Vanitas... just you wait for me!"

And so, Ven threw his Keyblade to the air, transforming it into flying surfboard. He got on his Keyblade Glider and made a haste towards those in need.

* * *

The three warriors continued their battle against the Unversed that swarmed their lane. They fought fiercely without any signs of giving in. Aqua mixed both of her physical and magical attacks into one devastating combo, slashing her enemies while freezing them at the same time, giving Terra a chance to finish them. The latter also used some earth magic to raise boulders into the Unversed.

When the two went back-to-back, they also witnessed Rogue's fight that became more and more brutal as the fight went on. With the lack of any bladed weapon, Rogue used his fists instead to tear the Unversed apart. He crushed a Flood's head with only his bare hand. He ripped and tore many of the U-Guardians' limbs one by one, throwing them to the others as he constantly swapped between his fists and his Nebulasteam Gun.

Speakin of his gun, Rogue also used it in the most unfamiliar manner to the two Wielders. He swung it while firing the weapon in full-auto function, giving off an impression that he was using it like a whip. It was rather effective though, with the number of Unversed he shot down. He twirled it a couple of times as he went to use his feet to trip them down and blast their heads off while in the ground. As a U-Guardian was about to hit him from behind, he quickly turned his attention to it and shot its body from its abdomen to its head. He did so slowly in order to accumulate the shots he threw out so that it would be enough to rip its body apart in half.

Wait, rip? Tear? Now, that's an idea Rogue can get on with. Well, except for the others with a bit of a cringe in their faces.

"That's a little bit too harsh, don't you think?" Terra commented.

"I believe that subtlety is never an option in a fight like this." Rogue nonchalantly replied.

"Hmm... good point."

He remembered both joy and remorse of the Pandora war he had been through. he had hurt many people, heck he even killed some. All because of a box and a pesky alien that came along with it. of course, he despised the fact that he was among the questionable ones. Then again, what gave a person rights to determine another's destiny? He had found the light that dimmed beneath the darkness he was in. He had finally became the man that he had always dreamt to be.

He was grateful for becoming a Kamen Rider. And the world needed him for it.

More and more Unversed began to dwindle from the assault. Rogue, Terra, and Aqua worked their way through the horde. Through Rogue's own analysis, Terra's Keyblade helped him devastating the U-Guardians while also blocking their blasts at the same time. He was also capable of raising rocks from the ground and other magics as well, although he didn't use them much frequently. However, it didn't go the same way as Aqua's, who was much more suited for magic-based attacks, though her water and blizzard spells did fit her better in there. And then there was himself, Kamen Rider Rogue. Despite his unfamiliarity with his new power, he was still able to bode well like the rest of them. He could still feel a lesser pain of being hit by an Unversed, but at least his armor wouldn't break off that easy. Finally, the Unversed's numbers had finally decreased to the point that they could use some breather.

"Anyone hurt?"

"We can still fight them off, Rogue. We've already trained ourselves for this moment." Aqua assured.

"So, you're still not willing to give away your real name yet, are you?" He asked with a bit of an interrogative manner.

"Real name?" Aqua wondered. "Now that you said it... I still haven't got to know you more. Care to speak up, later?"

"Wow, you're sharp, I give you that. I'll tell you more about it later. I promise." Rogue said.

"You better be." Terra replied.

"Guys, look!"

Aqua pointed towards a large number of U-Guardians that gathered around and merged themselves into a new form of threat. They formed a giant two-legged walker mech with their arm rifles tucked on its top, forming full-circle cannons. Some of the rifles were also present on both of its upper joints.

"They combined!?" Terra shocked.

"Huh, forgot they could do that. Lousy me." Rogue muttered.

"We can still push them through! let's give it all we've got!" Aqua ordered.

"You got it!" Terra confirmed.

"Roger that." Rogue followed.

Aqua and Terra charged towards the U-nion Guardian and slashed its leg with their Keyblades as Rogue shot its cannons. He could feel that his attacks had gotton stronger since he donned the new armor. his Nebulasteam Gun's blasts wera also affected by it to the point that he could destroy a cannon after a few normal shots. As for the Keyblade Wielders, they continued to damage the U-nion Guardian with both physical and magical attacks, though Terra relied much on the former and Aqua on the latter. Their attacks also showed a sign of affecting the Unversed's body.

Rogue then followed the two Keyblade Wielders to ravage its feet. He tore through its components with his bare hands, despite his inner plea of having a close-range weapon of sorts. He kept on reminding himself that his bare hands are also his weapon. However, it didn't take long for the U-nion Guardian to notice him and kicked him away. It also blasted him with its array of cannons. The Wielders also found themselves a hard time avoiding its blasts, with some of them hitting their bodies. Thankfully, they were as less injured as Rogue himself, thus enabling them for another fight.

"We can't get through its inner platings! They're much thicker than the outer ones!" Aqua said.

"Even if we can do it, it's gonna take us minutes to take it down. Hours, even!" Terra added.

"There is a way!"

"Huh?"

Rogue checked on the bottle slot on his left waist and-

Wait, bottles?

Did he even have one?

So far, his armor had jus been formed during his fall without him entering any bottles to his slot. His Crocodile Crack Full Bottle had also been literally cracked up, for all he care. He shouldn't have any on his own possession.

That's right. he didn't have any, and the fact that he had just realized it at the moment only made it worse.

"Uh, umm..." Rogue began to sweat under his helmet.

"What is it?" Terra asked.

"I... just remembered that I used to have an item that can power up my gun."

"And?" Aqua asked.

"It's... already broken. So, yeah... we're pretty much screwed. Sorry." Rogue sorrowfully informed, lumping his head down with a gloom darker than the darkness itself.

"Wha-how come you just realize that by now!?" Terra deadpanned, shaking Rogue's shoulders in panic.

"Oh, there's this A-hole called No Heart who tried to kill me back home. He shot me off the roof into a portal, and... that's how I got here."

"No Heart?"

"Knew him?"

"No. Unfortunately."

"Can't say we have, though." Aqua added.

"Bummer." Rogue sighed.

The three could only wait for a cannon blast to come at them, only for the Unversed to be knocked away by Ventus, who was riding on top of his Keyblade Glider. He dashed toward the U-nion Guardian and cut off its cannon in one fell swoop. The attack managed to disable two cannons. Not only that, Ven summoned a green tornado that damaged the Unversed's body. he then went inside the tornado and slashed it a couple of times until it broke apart and fell off. Ven landed as the Glider changed back to its original form.

"Ven!" Terra and Aqua called.

"You guys!"

"I thought you're going to find a shelter." Terra said.

"Guys, c'mon. I'm a Keyblade Wielder too! How come I'm not allowed to join the fight?" Ven said.

"Because the master said that you're still not ready?"

"Forget about that! I can't just stand by while watching you guys risking your lives! Besides, why do you think I became a Keyblade Wielder?"

"I know, it's to save people's lives. And we're thankful for that." Aqua replied.

"See? Aqua's got the point!" Ven pointed out.

Terra sighed. "Alright, hot shot. You did great."

The three laughed together as the Unversed threat had already begun to dissipate. Rogue could only smile tenderly as he watched the three talked to each other. it reminded him of his other friends back on his world. He then wondered on how they were doing there without him. But, it had only been a night there. Could it be the time zones from both worlds are different from one another? Who knows.

At least they could have a moment for a break.

"Hi, there. I'm Ventus. Ven, for short. What's yours?" Ven introduced, offering him a handshake.

"The name's Rogue." He replied and accepted the handshake.

"Rogue? That's a strange name." Ven commented. "Or is that just your nickname?"

"More like my codename in this armor, though."

"Ooh, an alter-ego! Cool!"

"Ahem." Terra cleared his throat. "Remember your promise?"

"Well, your buddy here likes it though." Rogue patted Ven's shoulder.

"Your real name. Please." Terra demanded firmly.

"Terra, it's fine." Aqua assured. "Don't worry, we know you're not a bad guy. We don't even get to label you that after all that happened here."

"Alright, then. I'll explain you the further details from now on." Rogue accepted. "Anyway, you guys know somewhere else we can take a breather at?"

* * *

Master Xehanort was seen watching from the higher lanes far from the Land of Departure. He had been watching the whole chaos with chuckles marked on his face. From behind him, his agents had finally made their presences: Vanitas and No Heart. Both were ready to hand out their reports to their master.

"Vanitas. No Heart." Xehanort welcomed.

"I have accomplished my task, Master Xehanort. But it seems, destiny has other plans for the Rogue." No Heart reported.

"So I've noticed." Xehanort nodded. "And how is Ventus?"

"He bored me so bad. If this keeps up, then we won't be able to proceed with our plan." Vanitas scoffed.

"Maybe you just didn't push him enough." No Heart remarked.

"Heh, like you know what it's like."

"I never needed such knowledge, Vanitas. Our duty is my only concern."

"Aren't you the dense one?"

"And you've laid your own back way farther than you could imagine."

"Enough. Both of you." Xehanort halted. "We have already planted the seed deep enough from here. Thus henceforward, we must make our move in the other lanes. Our destiny awaits us right within our reach."

The three Dark Seekers summoned a dark gate for their exit. Xehanort's servants nodded to each other after witnessing the terror for one last time. it was only a matter of time until Xehanort got what he wanted.

And they must be ready.

"Though that being said... I'm gonna let them have one last fun in the next thirty minutes... ish." No Heart muttered as he snapped his fingers, much to the others' delight.

* * *

The four heroes went back to the castle, taking a walk through the scenic route. Rogue was still wearing his armor, trying to figure out why he still couldn't get his armor off of him as the others kept their eyes for another threat. He was searching through the diagnostics ranging from specs to combat statistics. Just as he was still searching through, they had finally arrived at the palace. They found Master Eraqus kneeling while holding on his own Keyblade due to the exhaustion he had from fighting the horde of the Unversed.

"Master!" the Wielders called out.

"Are you hurt, Master?" Ven asked.

"I'm alright. I've faced much worse in my younger days. More than a thousand that is, unlike here." He smiled back at his disciples as he got back up.

"Oh, thank goodness." Aqua said.

"I am very grateful that the three of you are okay, as well." Eraqus replied. He then turned his attention towards the man in the black armor. "And you are?"

"Your... disciples also asked me the same thing. Don't worry, I'll answer it." Rogue complied. "But in exchange, I'd like to be informed on where on earth am I and who are you guys really since I was basically got thrown out to this place, recently. I mean, if we're in this situation together, our trust must be in a two-way basis, no?"

"Well, he's not wrong." Terra commented.

"Then we might as well have a seat. Please come inside." Eraqus said.

After Eraqus permitted them to go inside the hall, he summoned four chairs as he sat on one of the two chairs for the Keyblade Masters to be the judge for the Mark of Mastery.

"Your word, please." Eraqus spoke,

"Ahem." He cleared his throat as he commanded his helmet to unfold itself, revealing his backward-combed, tidy, yet scruffy long hair and his facial hair that earned him the moniker of 'beardo'. "My name is Gentoku Himuro. I am a Kamen Rider, and my codename is Rogue. Kamen Rider Rogue."

Unexpectedly, the three Keyblade Wielders were flabbergasted by what they had just saw. Ven was the first to spoke. "I-it can't be..."

"Is there something on my face?"

"There... are... two Master Eraqus'!" he squealed.

"Wait, what?" Terra and Aqua shocked.

"Guys, guys! You're seeing this too, right? that's exactly Master Eraqus' face! He-he must be Master Eraqus' brother!" Ven stated.

"Wow, I am shooketh." Terra commented.

"Now that you say it... his face looks rather younger, though." Aqua commented.

"For the record, I have no brother of my blood, Ventus." Eraqus said.

"How about brother from another mother?" Gentoku asked.

"Please, no."

"Oh well... this is awkward."

"Hmm."

"Now guys, let's not get our hopes up just yet." Aqua said.

"This is like, the biggest discovery in the history of our world! What if there's actually another... I don't know, us?"

"Ven, please. Let him continue." Terra reminded.

"Oh... okay." He sheepishly replied.

"And Gentoku? Sorry, he... he's just full of curiosity." Aqua apologized.

"It's fine, Aqua. I know he meant no harm." Gentoku replied. "But still, this is kinda... awkward. Now that he said it... well, I do accept the fact that my face looks good on him."

"Please don't drag me further into this thing of yours." Eraqus dejected.

"Why? We have awesome facial hairs, though." Gentoku defended.

"I hate you." The master facepalmed.

"One sec, what's a Kamen Rider anyway?" Ven asked.

"Kamen Rider is a moniker of warriors who wear armors like mine, and fought for the sake of peace in our world. We usually use this kind of Rider belt..." he pointed at his new Driver Belt. "To change our forms and weapons in order to adapt in every situation possible."

"That'll be too fancy if we call it as a normal belt, though." Ven commeneted.

"It's much fancier the more you get to know it, Ven. In fact, I wouldn't call it a wonder for nothing."

"Okay." He playfully chuckled.

"As a note, you can take that armor off from you, Gentoku." Eraqus noted.

"My armor? oh, wait." Gentoku put his helmet back on for a few moments to check on his armor's status. He then took it off. "I get it, now. You see, I don't think I'm able to do that at the moment. My body's still adapting to this world's atmosphere. I'll take this off the moment I know that I can."

"Very well. Now, carry on please." Eraqus ordered as he straightened his face when he said the last part.

"Okay." He continued. "I came from a completely different reality than here, when those Unversed came and attacked my world. I was able to stop them, until the perp behind it all appeared. He called himself No Heart, and he was somehow able to obtain some pieces of tech from my world. He also destroyed and stole some from mine. That being said, I'm supposed to be... dead when he shot me off the roof of a more than a 5-feet-tall building, but instead... I got sucked into a black portal, having this new suit of armor just by going through it, and having the most unpleasant free-fall by cratering your frontyard. Sorry, anyway."

"No Heart, you say? Unfortunately, not in my vaguest idea that I am familiar with such name. Now, you said that you were thrown into a dark portal and got yourself a new armor. That is a very unusual phenomenon to happen to anyone, especially you." Eraqus said.

"The Lanes Between." Aqua answered. "But, none of us would survive if we enter it without any means of protection."

"That is what I want to know from our guest, here. And if I may ask, what did you feel when you enter such place?" Eraqus asked.

"Well... I thought that's it. This is the end, I'm done for, my story, my job, and my tale is done. But at the same time, somehow I felt that... there are still many people who need my help, and that I can still be better than the man I had used to become. That's why I decided not to give up on living. I believe that this is my second chance, something that people like me won't get that easy like picking up a cash from a tree."

"I see. Normally, us Keyblade Wielders must use any means of protection when entering the Lane so that we won't succumb to the darkness that lies within it. But in your case... it seems that you are somehow... granted with that armor when you fell through it." Terra explained.

"Granted? What does it mean?"

"I can feel that your armor is, what we call as the by product of the Lane's Darkness itself. Though, I suggest you to get rid of that darkness if you ever want to survive." He continued.

"Uhh, okay?"

"Though not only that, your armor was imbued with a mixture of that energy and the other one that I'm not familiar with. Perhaps, you are?" Eraqus asked.

"Another energy... you must be talking about my Hazard Level."

"Hazard Level? That sounds dangerous." Ven commented again.

"You see, Hazard Energy is a substance that I got myself injected in order for me to use this kind of power. This armor, in particular. It's also capable of evolving through experience and emotional response. And if you're saying that the Lanes Between had such energy... then that means my Hazard Energy somehow reacted to the dark energy itself and created this new armor as means of protection."

"That is... extraordinary." Eraqus said.

"We also have that kind of armor whenever we enter the Realm. The darkness inside it can be very overwhelming. That's why we use Keyblade Armors to shield our hearts from it." Aqua explained.

"So, that means you all have it, too?"

"We do." Ven said. "But, if that's your new armor, then where's the old one?"

"No Heart totalled it. He wrecked it like prying open a raw peanut... with a jackhammer." Gentoku frowned.

"That's... sad." Ven commented.

"And don't you dare play Despacito on it." Gentoku warned.

"Play what now?"

"Oh, sorry. Otherworld lingo stuff. Don't matter." He rejected. "Now jokes aside, I believe it's your turn to explain things here. Shall we?"

"Alright, then." Eraqus began. "We are, as you may have known, are Keyblade Wielders. Keepers of the light, and the protectors of people's hearts. We have trained our bodies, minds, and souls to combat against the darkness that lurks in this world and many others. And our greatest weapon, that only the chosen ones can carry, is this."

The Keyblade Master held his hand high as he summoned his Keyblade. "This is the Keyblade, the very instrument of the light energy that we use against any forms of darkness, be it energy or entity. It is also capable to open many sorts of locks in this world. Some, if not all. Hence the name."

"Nice weapon, I say." Gentoku complimented. "So, from what I heard from Terra, and recently you, only a few people can wield the Keyblade. How exactly am I suppose to have one, then? Because, I'm really short on close-ranged weapons here. Except my own bare hands."

"Normally, you'll need a proper training to become a Keyblade Wielder. But from what I saw back there, I mean.. seeing how you fight, and the situation we're in now, I think you could use one. how about it, Master?" Terra suggested.

"Crafting a Keyblade surely needs both time and your own progress of how you develop yourself. However, one of the most defining factor is that how much your alignment is to the light. And to what I see, you're currently still in a clean slate, with no alignment towards light nor darkness." Eraqus explained.

"Clean slate, huh?" Gentoku muttered.

"Worry not, I am also aware of the fact that you had just arrived here. All will be seen by your actions from now on."

"I understand." He accepted. "And what of the Unversed?"

"They're creatures that feed on negative energy." Aqua explained. "We're still unsure of it's origin, though. We believe that they're hive-minded, simply looking for their prey to feed themselves."

"You know, something keeps telling me on my head that they weren't just a hive. They're actually... organized." Ven theorized.

"Organized? How?" Terra asked.

"I'm not sure. It's like, I know it's true, but I don't know who or why." Ven said.

"Alright, then. The Unversed are also known to have attacked the other worlds, bringing chaos over them. We are tasked to stop it once and for all." Terra explained.

"Then that makes all of us. we're on the same page, here." Gentoku said.

"Not only that, a Keyblade Master by the name Xehanort is also missing. We need to find him if we're gonna need more answers from him." He added.

"Xehanort, huh? I wonder..."

The introduction was cut off by a presence of another threat. The fallen U-nion Guardian arose from the ground. It appeared that it was being swarmed by dozens of Floods, slowly forming a new monster. The walker was given a new limb, composed of a full torso. What appeared before our heroes was an enormous, full body mecha resembling a giant Flood. Its head resembled one, with an Unversed symbol on top of its forehead. The body also composed of a mixture between the U-Guardians and the Flood themselves, being its hand having a distorted claw with cannons embedded on its shoulders, arms, torso, and legs, making it look even more ferocious than its previous walker form.

"What in the actual hell...?"

"It's coming back!" Terra said.

"I don't get it. I destroyed that thing, but... it's not supposed to be able to stand up anymore." Ven pointed out.

"Looks like our perp still doesn't want this place to open for business." Gentoku muttered.

"And this one also has a darkness that feels... otherworldly." Aqua pointed out.

"Otherworldly, you say?" he asked.

"I don't know... it feels like that to me. somehow." She replied.

"Well, I think I do."

"Really?"

"One of its components came from my world. Those robot Unversed we fought back then? They're called as 'Guardians', military sentries that were made as reinforcements for the regular soldiers. I remember No Heart using them to kill me back there. And they have the ability to combine into one gigantic unit, too." Rogue explained.

"And now the other Unversed merged with them, too. Makes sense, though." She commented.

"I'll go-!" Eraqus suddenly fell to his knees. He seemed exhausted.

"Master, you should rest!" Aqua said.

"Leave this to us." Ven assured.

"Ven, you should stay here. It's too dangerous for you to go." Eraqus said.

"But Master, I-!"

"That's an order!" He barked.

All of his students went silent. Their interests rather conflicted against each other. on one hand, they wanted Ven to fight alongside them so that they could all work together in cleaning up this mess, but they knew that their Master was worried about Ven's well-being, seeing that he was the youngest of the bunch. Putting his helmet back on, Rogue gave him a suggestion.

"Sir, as much as I understand your concern towards Ven... please, let him join us. We need all the help we can get now, which is... the four of us are the only ones that available for another fight."

"No... you don't understand..."

"Look, he's young, he needs more care than the others, and he's inexperienced, I get it. I may have no idea of how your relationships worked with your students, but at some point... you need to let them go, and decide the paths for themselves. I think it's a part of being a good mentor, no?"

Eraqus pondered for a moment until he said, "Very well... I permit you to go, Ventus. But no matter what happens, stay close with them."

"Master!" Ven squealed.

"You heard him, Ven." Terra said. "That's green light for you."

"Now we can all work together!" Aqua continued.

"Then what are we waiting for? Unversed first, coffee break later." He remarked, causing Aqua to giggle. "Excuse me?"

"No, it's just... you can be funny sometimes, you know?"

"Really? I am?" she nodded to his query.

"Oy, does that really crack you up?" Terra wondered.

"Well, don't ask me." she dejected, much to Ven's laughter.

"I entrust the safety of this land to you all. Good luck, and may your heart be your guiding key." Eraqus said.

"Thanks, Eraqus. You heard the man, people. Move out." Rogue ordered.

"Right!"

Master Eraqus could only watch as his disciples and the new contender left the vicinity. He had been pondering to Rogue's words, especially. He knew that Rogue was right. Not only Ven, even Aqua and Terra must see the outside world themselves in order to gain more knowledge, the ones that he could never teach in their home. It was already his time to watch the events unfold, as one's destiny is such an unpredictable thing.

"Gentoku Himuro... though there is still much that I want to say... I will entrust my students to you... for now." He muttered.

* * *

Later, the heroes had finally arrived nearby the vicinity. The saw the monster had steadied itself with loads of cannons and dark energies. It seems that the crevices of the defeated Unversed had somehow gathered without their notice. It was empowered by a dark energy beyond their comprehension.

"We need to finish this fast. Otherwise, this place won't hold long enough to maintain its weight." Ven informed.

"Maintain its weight... wait, that's it!" Rogue pointed out.

"Did you just... make a pun?" Terra asked.

"Well, its between 'weight' and 'wait'. Get it?" Rogue joked, dumbfounding the others due to the current situation. "I mean, no! Look, I just figured out on how to destroy that thing before it causes too much damage. We can destroy the platform that monster is on and bring it down to the ground under this place. well, assuming that this floating palace has a bottom."

"Well, it is, right?" Ven pointed out. "Still, it's gonna end up messy for our home."

"However, I don't think that it'd be a quick one to do. The Land of Departure has a sturdy structure that is strong enough to sustain any damages done by a Keyblade. That, and we need to avoid the Unversed's attacks." Terra informed.

"Then we're doing it together. We still have enough power to do it." Aqua assured.

"Enough? Aqua, we need to stay in the exact same spot if we're ever gonna make it. it'll take us minutes, hours even just to make a hole on the platform!" he objected.

"Oh, it won't work. But how about if we take it to the skies?" Ven suggested.

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked.

"We can use our Gliders to reach high and once we do, we deliver the blow from above, together. If we put our minds to it, I'm sure it'll work!" He explained.

"Now that you say it... you're right. if we free-fall once we're high enough, we can use our Keyblades to create a strong rune to break the platform! The gravity will keep our aim steady!" Terra agreed.

"Cool! Now this is one heck of a plan!" Ven cheered.

"That's great! So, about this Glider thing..." Rogue was about to ask, until...

Terra nodded to both Aqua and Ven. The three punched their respective left pauldrons, resulting in their bodies emitting bright auras with different colors: blue for Aqua, green for Ven, and orange for Terra. They were then surrounded by pieces of armors corresponding to their respective colors. The said parts then assembled themselves to them, completing their transformation with a heart-shaped rune formed behind them.

Rogue was flabbergasted by the scene and the armors they had. They were shaped in a way that Rogue had never seen before. Most notably, their helmets had a pair of horns and a single visor, traits that the armors shared together. Aqua had a heart-shaped visor with her horns facing backwards. Most of her colors were carbonite grey, black and blue-hued carbon. Ven had some golden accents and some red lines that resembled tendrils on his thighs. As for Terra, he had his golden and bronze armor parts mixed up together, and on his rear foot anklets were a pair of spikes.

"These are our Keyblade Armors." Terra explained.

"Nice ones you got there. They're... how do I say it? Oh, rad." Rogue chuckled.

"Thanks. Not only for protection for world travels, we can also use this to increase our powers so that we might be able to break the platform, for your info." Aqua explained.

"You guys can do that world travel thing?" Rogue flattered.

"We'll get to that later. And..."

Next, they threw their Keyblades into the air that became engulfed in a bright light. The Keyblades then assembled into their respective vehicles. Unlike the the others, Aqua's Glider was consisted in two separated floating parts. The said parts shaped like a bow and an arrow, which were somehow interconnacted with some kind of electromagnet, which kept them both from separating too far. One of the world's wonder, Rogue suppose.

"These are our Keyblade Gliders. You know... our vehicles." Ven said.

"That's... good." Rogue frowned, saddened by the fact that he was the only one without a cool ride. "Oh god, I wish I have a ride, now."

"Well, you can ride on my backseat." Terra offered again.

"How about mine? Well, I'll have to fly slowly that is." Ven offered too.

"I don't have any backseat, so... sorry." Aqua said sheepishly.

Rogue sighed, "Okay. You guys wanna see something cool?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ven asked.

Rogue put his weaponed arm to the left while performing a two-fingered ninja seal. Then, he swung his Nebulasteam Gun to the right and sprayed a thick smoke.

"Poof."

As he voiced out the smoke's effect, it slowly dissipated and revealed him to had already disappeared from the place he was in, much to everyones shock.

"Well... that was quick." Ven commented.

* * *

The Flood Union began its move by marching towards the castle. It shot its cannons to further ravage the floating land. The heroes, of course, would never sit back and let it happen. They rode on their Keyblade Gliders, with Rogue arriving on the scene earlier behind the monster.

"Alright, that worked pretty well. Gotta make this quick." Rogue muttered.

As the wielders did what he instructed, Rogue ran towards the menacing Flood Union and shot his gun to its back. The monster immediately took notice of the assailant and went to eradicate him. It swung is claws towards the Rider, in which he quickly dodged. He kept shooting at the monster despite the fact that it didn't budge it at all. This process kept going on and on as he waited for the three to destroy the platform. Rogue also knew that with his current power, it wouldn't be enough to trip ot to the ground, let alone disabling it. with the lack of any enhancements like Fullbottles, his only available options were to shoot and to dodge its attacks.

Meanwhile, the trio had already reached the altitude they needed to execute their move. They cancelled out their Keyblade Gliders so that they could use their Keyblades. While in mid-air, the Wielders summoned a light on their tips and sticking them together to create a huge rune. They were ready to fire as the gravity started to drag them down.

Noticing this, Rogue began to ran away from the monster and fired his Nebulasteam Gun to further draw it away from the trio. It worked for a period until the rune created a huge ball of light.

"Now!" Aqua ordered.

The three Wielders fired the light magic and pierced through the platform. The monster fell doen to the ground, which was soon to be followed by Rogue when the ground beneath him also crumbled. He then ran towards the broken platforms to maintain his stand so that his allies could see him. Aside from his typhoportation, it still sucks for him not to have any vehicles for his own.

"Guys, anytime now!"

Aqua was the first one to respond his plea, quickly summoning her Keyblade Glider to reach him as she was followed by the others. As she came through, Rogue quickly jumped to her Glider and grabbed its bottom part. as they rode safely, the Flood Union crashed to the ground beneath the land. It was severely damaged from the impact, but it was still active to the point that it rampantly fired its cannons.

"Whew... Looks like someone's got an extreme case of obessity." Rogue mentioned the Flood Union.

"You don't say..." Aqua giggled.

"That's why everyone needs sports, Aqua."

"Oh, and uhh... please don't sue me for this." He said.

"Why would we do that?" Ven said. "Our Master can rebuild this place in a second! He's got like, tons of magic loadouts."

"Uhh, okay."

"Now, all that's left is to take that thing down!" Ven said.

"Guys, look out!" Terra warned.

The Kaijin immediately took notice of the heroes. It began to focus its aim towards them unlike before. Due to the immense blasts, they had a hard time avoiding the blasts, causing them to get hit and forced them to make an abrupt landing to the ground. Thankfully, their armors protected them from the impact, enabling them to resume the fight.

The Wielders kept their armors on and launched a string of attacks alongside the Rider. With the help of Keyblade Armors, their attacks became noticingly powerful to the point that they could damage the the Flood Union's limbs. They also began to use various magic spells ranging from fire to melt its armor and magnetism to pull some of them out. Ven slashed its thighs in high speed, floating from one part to another as he avoided its claws. As he was about to be hit by one, Terra quickly stepped in to defend him, fending off the claws with his devastating attacks. He also reinforced his Keyblade with a mix of flames and rocks for more damage. Despite so, the monster's left arm was still intact along with its cannons. It attempted to blast him, but was blocked by Aqua's rune barrier. Using her magic, Aqua aimed towards the cannons and fired it with an array of bubble blasts. The said cannons were slowly devastated by the attacks to the point that a few of it exploded.

It was about to charge its way to the Keyblade Wielder, only for it to be hit by Rogue who jumped to its chest and rammed it with sheer force. It caused the Unversed to lose its stand and fell off the ground. After he stood up, Rogue continously punched the chest and ripped it open, revealing its core. It looked like a Guardian's head that engulfed in a menacing darkness. The core's energy leaked out before Rogue could break it and blasted him and his allies away from it.

Not only that, the Flood Union's appearance also further twisted due to the leakage. More claws and cannons protruded from its back. It began to wreak havoc, swinging its claws wildly while the leakage blasted the grounds like meteors. The heroes desperately tried to regain their stand. They were all bruised, ignoring their injuries with little-to-no options on how to get closer to the Flood Union. They were all exhausted. They had used their energy to tear up the Flood Union without any luck of destroying it.

"We... we can't get any closer like this!" Terra grunted.

"If this keeps up, sooner or later it's going to further wreck the land!" Aqua informed.

"Shoot! We can't just... stay down! Not like this!" Ven grunted as he struggled to get up.

And suddenly, a ball of dark matter was about to hit them.

"Look out!" Aqua shouted.

Rogue quickly stepped in and protected the others from the blast using his own body. He crossed his arms in defensive position the moment it hit him. An explosion occured after that. The Keyblade Wielders were shocked and went to check on his condition once the dust was settled. Fortunately, he was still in one piece. But the blast had injured him enough to put him down to his knees despite the armor he was wearing. The impact had went through his protection.

"Rogue!" she called out, catching his falling body. "Rogue, are you okay!? Rogue!"

"Yeah... this just isn't my day... ever since my old armor got wrecked up..."

"Can you heal him?" Terra asked as he and Ven got back up.

Aqua tried to use her heal magic using her Keyblade with little success. "I... I can't. Something's blocking my... no, our magic. It must be the darkness from the giant Unversed. It prevents me from using it properly."

"That thing..." Ven growled, gripping his Keyblade tightly.

"Don't worry, I got this-!" He said as he slowly got himself up despite the injuries he sustained.

"What? Rogue, what're you-?"

"Let me take care of... what I brought here, myself."

"But you're hurt!"

"I fell to this world in the first place! the moment that happened, the Unversed raided your home, your world... you think I'm just gonna sit here and watch while you guys are getting hurt because of my own burden?"

"Wh-what're you talking about? No one's blaming you for this!" she dejected.

"That's why I'll admit it. The reason I keep on fighting... is because that I've made the gravest mistake that a man could ever do. For the times that had passed, I've been looking for a penance to atone my sins. And I believe... that this is the only way to achieve it."

"Gentoku..." Aqua muttered.

"Now, remember what I said about the Lanes Between? The moment I fell there... I know that deep within my heart, I still have to fight no matter what the odds are. I know that it's been my duty to prevent the evil from ever flourishing in this very universe. That's why... I'll make it my mission to protect those I hold dear... for I am a Kamen Rider!"

"Kamen... Rider..."

Rogue's body suddenly emitted a shining purple aura. Such energy was completely unfamiliar to Rogue himself, but not to the Keyblade Wielders. They felt something more powerful came from within the otherworldly warrior. The way they saw it, Rogue's willpower had strengthened his heart to the point that he might come out with surprises. However, they were also filled with uncertainty on what the power could be. Meanwhile, Rogue checked on his armor's readings, saying that his Hazard Level increased to the state that maybe Evolto himself had yet to reach. It was immeasurable that even it overwhelmed both his friends and his enemies.

Seeing his determination, Aqua knew that she couldn't give up just yet. The same goes for Terra and Ven, who followed her regaining their stand. After all, it had been the trio's duty to preserve the order of their world, a sense of justice that even Rogue also shared. Which is why, they wouldn't lt him bear the burden alone.

"If that's what you're going to do... then we're doing it together." She said.

"We all share the same problem here, Rogue. You better not start thinking on going gung-ho against that thing." Terra detested.

"And most of all, we can't let you hog all the glory." Ven said.

"You guys..."

As soon as he regained his composure, a realization hit him like a thunder. It was as if he had spontantaneusly become a genius, someone that he thought could rival his old friend. Then again, who is he to judge if he couldn't stand counting basic algorithms? It wasn't like he's gonna be a best strategist in a second. Regardless of it all... it was about time for a counter-attack.

"Light bulb."

* * *

Master Eraqus was still resting inside the castle. His experience as a Keyblade Master enabled him to feel even the faintest magic flow of the world. His sensitivity was high enough to tell that it came from the new warrior he met. For years, he had aligned himself to the will of light and made him a duty to vanquish the darkness once and for all. He could also tell it easy if a darkness was about to overwhelm his student. However, he had yet to decipher what kind of power Rogue would have.

"Such incredible power... who are you really, Gentoku Himuro?"

"Would you believe me if I tell you that he's just a passing-through Kamen Rider?" a voice called out from behind him, much to his surprise.

"Who are-oh... you must be Master Yen Sid's acquintance."

"Indeed I am." Tsukasa confirmed. "So, what do you think of him?"

"Gentoku, you say? Truth to be told, I am unsure of his own heart. Is it a light, or a darkness? When I look inside him during our last conversation, his heart kept screaming both words. So much that I began to wonder how he was like before all of this."

"Oh that? Let's just say that he's a man seeking for a better world, regardless of how he is or how he was. Like any other man, he had made mistakes, surely. But, he's still willing to fix everything he screwed up. Call it his redemption, or perpetual torment, or... whatever."

"What you're saying is only a piece of puzzle."

"Isn't that what our world is? Pieces of puzzle, laying down there for us to assemble it ourselves. A place where unlikely events are possible. That means you have to seek out the answer yourself."

"And what about you?"

"Gentoku Himuro is one of my kin. I have observed him long enough to see what kind of man he is. And for what he would do in this unfamiliar world to his own... that I cannot say for sure."

"Then there is nothing left for me to ask."

The two then gazed towards the scene. The dark clouds that filled the sky began to shed its light. After a few seconds, Tsukasa gave the Keyblade Master a metallic purple keychain with the shape of Rogue's new heart symbol. "Anyways, I just want to hand this out to you."

"A keychain?"

"Give it to Rogue once he and the others are done. If the worlds of this universe are in danger, then he's gonna need that."

"I thought you're going to the fray alongside them." Eraqus said.

"I've interfered enough. Farewell, Master Eraqus." He said as he went to the dimensional veil he summoned. He then muttered, "Now, what are you going to do after this, Rogue?"

* * *

"You guys ready?"

"We're all set. Hope our unified magic works." Aqua confirmed.

"You better make it out okay!" Terra said.

"Hit 'em hard, Rogue!" Ven cheered.

After a silent prayer for their success as the three Keyblade Wielders held onto their Wayfinder charms, Rogue commenced the strategy.

"Go!"

Rogue gave a rush through a rain of dark meteors, exploding as they hit the ground. The Rider was fast enough to avoid the majority of them. It seems that his raised Hazard Level improved his senses and reaction time to the point that he jumped towards a couple of meteors as his stepping stones. The big one was about to hit him from above, only to be sliced in half by Terra with his Keyblade's sheer force of one-swing attack. He then proceeded to destroy the rest of the meteors as Rogue went higher to the sky. That way, he could procees without having to worry about the meteors.

Once he had reached enough altitude, he descended towards the Flood Union still using the meteors for a boost. Noticing this, the giant Unversed stretched its claws and fired its cannons to him. As a claw almost reached the Rider, Ven averted its attacks by summoning a heavy gush of wind through his Keyblade Glider. Knowing that the monster's attacks became more and more chaotic, Ven grabbed Rogue's hand to avoid some of its attacks before dropping him to the Unversed's elongated arm, running through it before it could pull its arm back. To prevent this, Ven used his magnetism magic to pull its claw down to the ground as Terra defended him from the meteors.

The cannons on the arm were all that's left standing in the Rider's way. He counter-shot some of its blasts while avoiding those that went through his defense perimeter. Now that Rogue had his purple aura active, he could blast both the cannons and the blasts in quick succession. However, once all of the arm cannons were destroyed, the damaged cannons merged to form a single huge cannon that fired a more powerful energy blast. The Rider had no time to jump out and avoid it. That was when Aqua came in. She defended him with a blue water rune barrier that held the blast long enough to give him a room to move.

"I got this! Go!" she said.

"I won't let you guys down. I promise."

Rogue gathered up his strength to his boots to jump out of Aqua's water barrier through the blast. After he landed on the mega cannon, he made a run along the rest of its upper arm and leapt towards its leaking dark core. The main plan was for Rogue to get to the core so that he could do something about it as his HUD said that there was a material that he needed to craft an item of his interest. That, and he required the light of the Keyblade Wielders to perform the crafting. He landed a few meters below the core, with him hanging on the chest crevices that he pried open before. He then got himself up to it and instructed his allies to do one last trick.

"Now!"

The Keyblade Wielders regrouped as they shoved away the threats that came towards them. They jointed their Keyblades, causing them to shine and iluminate the dark skies above them with a bright golden light. Rogue then punched the core through as his armor gathered the dark leakage and the golden light from above, channeling them to his belt's star-like vortex. He could feel his hand grabbing onto something, and forcefully pulling it out from the broken core.

The Rider then jumped out of the monster, revealing the object that he grabbed to be some sort of new item. The said item was a chakram that took the shape like a Keyblade's grip. It had the same colors and gear motifs as his Nebulasteam Gun. The grip's guard was, in some way, looked like a modified knuckle brass with what seemed to be a button painted with black and yellow warning line. On top of the button was a gear knob that was twistable, and beside it were four taser studs. It also had a bottle slot in the middle of its hilt. However, it lacked the key-like edge. Not only the two energies were channeled from his belt to the item, but Rogue's bottle carriers also began to craft three empty bottles, where the energies also channeled to.

Rogue quickly rolled back to go further away from the monster. The meteor attacks were also ceased, and the Keyblade Wielders' strength were also regained. After seeing his actions, the latters couldn't help but wondering how someone like him could accomplish such feat. Never in the Keyblade bearer's histories had a complete stranger, rougly speaking, or a non-bearer could have the strength and courage to face the darkness so big.

"The magic flow's returning to normal. I can feel it." Aqua said.

"Same here." Terra said.

"Let's go check on our new friend here. I wonder what's he trying to get from that Unversed." Ven said as they regrouped to where Rogue was standing, checking to see if he was still in prime condition.

"Guys." Rogue greeted.

"Your plan's worked. Wait, is that a... Keyblade?" Terra wondered.

"Oh, this?" Rogue presented the grip. "Just a loot for beating the crap out of that thing."

"Rogue, no. That is a Keyblade! A genuine Keyblade you got there!" Terra affirmed. "I mean... It took weeks and months just so a Keyblade Wielder could get it but, this?"

"But... It doesn't have a blade like we do." Ven pointed out.

"You're right. How's this even possible?"

"I don't quite get it. My armor's systems told me that there's something inside that core, and I have to take it." Rogue said. He then pat the bottle holders on his belt, which was holding the three shining bottles. "And Im going to find out more with these."

"Bottles? Are those the things that you wanted to use back then?" Aqua asked.

"Pretty much. They're still fresh, though."

However, the fight wasn't over yet. The Flood Union was still intact despite it kept leaking its powers. It grew weaker and weaker as the powers bleed out from its core. Now that the heroes had the advantage, all they had to do was to take it down once and for all. However, Rogue had another plan in mind.

"You guys take a rest. I'll take it from here." He said.

"You sure?" Terra asked as he held the Rider's shoulder.

"Yeah. You guys already helped me out a lot. And from what I see... all of you possessed great traits of being a true warrior. I admire you all, really. And now, I'll show you guys how I fight."

Rogue took out two of his newly crafted bottles after he unsummoned his Keyblade. Both of them were still filled with the light and dark energies from before. Suddenly, the two bottles took a new shape. Both of them shaped like different halves of a heart. On his left hand was the right half with a purple-colored crocodile image engraved to the bottle's body. The other on his right was the left half with an image of a turquoise-colored remote controller. Their caps also had a symbol of the bottle name's initials in their respective heart halves, colored according to the bottles' match.

"Wait 'til Sento sees this." The Rider muttered. He then shook the bottles once, lifting both of his hands to close the caps and inserted them to his Driver belt's slots.

 **CROCODILE! REMOTE CONTROLLER!**

 **MIST MATCH!**

"Mist Match? Now that really brings me back." Rogue muttered as the belt emitted the same, but modified tone of his previous Transteam Gun. He had been thinking about giving them some names later. As he noted it himself, he said to his friends, "One friendly advice, guys. Whenever you're putting on those armors of yours, try saying this word."

"What is it?" Aqua asked, with both Ven and Terra having the same question in mind.

"Watch."

He grinned as he twisted his Driver's crank as its vortex emitted the light in the colors of his used bottles. As he did so, projections of his bottles' heart halves appeared, with the crocodile in front of him and the remote controller behind him.

 **ARE YOU READY?**

Rogue made a gesture of slowly pointing his right hand to the enemy and pulled his hand back to his shoulder and crunched it in a clawing position. And as every Kamen Rider would do, he chanted the word that would be both of his determination and a prayer for his success.

"Henshin!"

 **CROCODILE! REMOTE CONTROLLER! HAZEART FUSION: CROCODICON! DANGER!**

The halves connected to Rogue, shining brightly until they dispersed into several armor parts and covered Rogue with purple and turquoise mists. The said parts then attached to his armor from bottom to top. The mist slowly revealed him with flashes of light, with then sounds of his armor activating being heard and the final parts attaching to his helmet in the same manner as his previous crocodile armor. The crocodile jaws half crushed his helmet, forming the horns and visors. The transformation was finished with his armor emitting a bright light as the mist dissipated, completely revealing his new form.

The new armor's overall appearance was surprisingly identical to his old, purple armor. His helmet was installed with a pair of crocodile jaw-like horns with its gem eye on his right cheek, though it retained its mouth plate. His sharp-eyed visors were covered in a pair of wide turquois visors. He also retained some other notable features of his old armor, including the torso, gauntlets, and boots albeit the differences.

His torso armor still retained his heart gear symbol with and addition of a huge collar that covered his rear neck, a gear-like skeletal spine armor, and some gear-like straps. His jaw-like shoulder guards had more teeth along with gear teeth on the pads' top. The gauntlets and boots were still having their Build-like vortex armors, though they began to protrude one sharp white fang on each of them, having turquoise shackles, a pair of white clawed gloves and a pair of white clawed shoes. His upper arms and legs were also covered in a pair of turquoise side arm and skirt armors respectively that slightly resembled a TV remote.

And as the Driver implied, Rogue was finally transformed to his newer, yet retro armor in the name of CrocodiCon. He was now ready to manipulate the outcome of the battle.

"I am... Kamen Rider Rogue!" he declared.

"Whoa... he can change his armor's form too." Ven muttered.

"And I can feel him getting stronger. I'm getting some goosebumps just by seeing this." Terra commented.

"Such power... is this what you really are, Gentoku?" Aqua muttered to herself.

The Rider made a charge towards the monster that began to disfigure itself. If one looked closely, more and more Floods that gathered in its form fell one after another. The Unversed was weakening, and Rogue would fasten its process further. He was then welcomed with a swarm of fallen Floods who were ready to skewer him. Rogue swung his first punch to a Flood's head, launching it towards the rest of them meters away and cratering the ground as they exploded. He then delivered numerous hits, making his way through the horde of Unversed. Resorting to his armor's claws was also his best resort at getting on to the enemies.

Some of them attempted to pierce his armor like before, only to find it futile. The armor's new material was impenetrable, for it was forged with the elements unfathomable to the world of Heartverse. The role of predator and prey had been turned around. Using the powers of a fierce crocodile, Rogue summoned a purple energy crocodile jaw on both of his claws, further decreasing the monsters' numbers on him. More and more Unversed came to his way, with the Flood Union's body slowly devolved into the U-nion Guardian's original walker form. Not wanting to waste more time, Rogue inserted his Crocodile bottle to his Nebulasteam Gun to activete his Funky Shot finisher.

 **CROCODILE!**

 **FUNKY SHOT! CROCODILE!**

The Rider shot an energy crocodile that mauled the Unversed horde in a large number. Rogue's HUD then instructed that when the attack was commenced, he could use his remote controller parts to control the energy's movements. Seeing this, Rogue had another idea. He shot numerous energy crocodiles, controlling their movements so that their attacks were more coordinated and effective. While he let the energy crocodiles do the job, the giant Unversed began to spawn several U-Guardians to round him up. This was a perfect opportunity for him to test his new gear. He took out his edgeless Keyblade. Another instruction was added to his system. He was told to take out his third bottle from the holder. Once he did, the bottle immediately formed into a golden left half-heart bottle with a lock that sported a huge keyhole. He inserted it to the slot on his Keyblade, which caused a new command to be performed.

 **LOCK!**

 **KEYBLADE MODE!**

The Keyblade's edge began to form itself into a golden key-like edge. It bore a resemblance to Build's key arm blade, only that it was much more razor sharp with some additional sharp details. This was his very first Keyblade, and a bladed weapon, finally.

"So, this is what a Keyblade is like in my very own fingertips. Interesting." He commented. "Now... let's begin the judgement."

Wow, what a straight-out ripoff of Build's catchphrase, Rogue. He thought.

He gripped his weapon tightly as the U-Guardians swung their bladed rifles above him, in which he quickly shielded himself just by using his new weapon. The blades were easily shoved away effortlessly, continued with a spinning slash that hit all of the U-Guardians on their abdomen and sent off sparks from them. Not only dismembering their body parts one after another, the Rider also threw his razor-sharp Keyblade to a U-Guardian's head, impaling it as he punched and gunned down the others. He quickly went to the impaled U-Guardian to take his weapon back and went to the rest of the Unversed who were still intact despite the damage he gave.

Rogue then tried a new trick of using the Keyblade's hilt as a hitting pole, in which he held onto the edge instead. He swung it hard in a breakneck speed to the point that he sent a U-Guardian flying into a horde of Floods and exploded it in the middle of the latter. Fortunately, his glove protected his hand from bleeding. Another one came, but he was ready to use his Keyblade's knuckle brass feature. He punched the U-Guardian from its chest, abdomen, and to its head. Each hit let out purple electric sparks that subdued the enemy's movements, enabling him to uppercut its face and completly broke it. The last U-Guardian was ready to strike him from behind, but Rogue's keen senses of battle helped him to stab it before finally beheading it.

Seeing such display of strength, the Keyblade Wielders couldn't help but left themselves in both awestruck and wonder. No Wielders in their history lesson had ever fought in such manner. All this time, they had been fighting by the book, following the stances, styles, and tricks that had been archived by their predecessors. Perhaps, his 'Rogue' moniker did befit him in some way. All in all, they were glad that they could have someone like him on their fold.

Continuing his assault to the remaining enemies, Rogue pressed the button as if he was cracking his fist. It caused a new command to activate.

 **NEBULATIC BREAK! LOCK!**

Rogue's Keyblade edge was engulfed with a huge golden projection of the key. He swung it to the approaching Unversed, completely obliterating them with a huge explosion caused by the attack. As a pack of Floods was about to lunge him from his right, he quickly commanded the still active crocodile phantom to maul them before they could ever have the chance. Once the phantoms had mauled the Unversed enough, they exploded and incinerated a large number of Floods nearby the vicinity.

Seeing that the Keyblade's command was still active and the Unversed's numbers began to dwindle, Rogue quickly made his way towards the monster to finish it off. However, his sword was connected to its dark barrier instead of its own body. It was clearly desperate for its protection as it became significantly weaker than before. Of course, Rogue wouldn't let such petty tactic prevent him from finishing his task.

"I'm not done yet!" He pulled off his energized blade first, then he jumped high and held his weapon with both of his hands for a stronger force.

Both forces clashed once again to see who shall dominate who. More sparks flew from the clash, with the giant Unversed began to lose its strength. And so, with his sheer force of will and his unwavering resolve to fight, Rogue managed to break the barrier and damaged the monster, with the latter finally reverted to its original U-nion Guardian form. Seeing this opportunity, Rogue cranked his Driver's lever.

And like all Kamen Riders would, it's time to wrap it up with a kick.

 **READY, GO!**

 **MISTIC FINISH!**

"Your judgement... has been decided!"

The Rider executed his usual crocodile scissor kick, lifting his right leg up as the other went on the bottom. A huge car-sized purple energy crocodile fang also formed on both of his kicking legs. He let out a roar as his attack pierced the Unversed's body. The energy also spreaded throughout its body upon contact. From what appeared to be a single kick,comes a huge explosion that annihilated the enemy as its remnants dissipated into darkness and floated in the sky.

The battle for the Land of Departure was finally over as Rogue rose out from the flames. His visors shone brightly, signifying his glory that shall be remembered in the history of Heartverse. From this day onwards, the name Rogue shall be remembered as a firece warrior who strikes fear to the hearts of his enemies, assuming they ever had one.

Although, that would be another tale to tell.

"You guys hurt or anything?" he asked.

"We're all fine, Rogue." Aqua said.

"Wow... that. Was. Awesome!" Ven squealed. "You're really rocking it out back there! I mean, you were like 'swoosh!' and then you also go wild with that roar of yours like 'raaaargh!'. Wow! Really, Rogue. Wow!"

"Err, thanks?"

"To be honest... I've never seen someone fight like that. It kinda feels... wild. Savage, I'd say." Aqua commented.

"Savage? Well, I'm not surprised."

"You see, us Keyblade Wielders held a high respect towards the art of Keyblade mastery, one that would symbolize our traits and features as the forces of good. But still... I've never imagined that you deviated from that tradition. Especially, since you had just had that Keyblade." She explained.

"And as a side note, Gentoku; Keyblade Bearers don't fight like that. If it were Master Eraqus, he'll say that you lacked any grace to begin with." Terra pointed out.

"But, it's still cool though. I don't think that rough comment is necessary." Ven denied.

"It's called critics, Ven." Rogue corrected.

"I know. I get it that you had a completely different background than ours. Just want you to understand where I came from." Terra said.

"Don't worry. I'm aware that you guys are apperentices of a Keyblade Master, too. I can see your point, here." Rogue modestly said as years of being a good guy once again returned his kindness as a man who he had aspired to become. A notificaion then appeared on his HUD, saying that his body had finally adapted to the new environment. Which means, "Whew, finally. I can take my armor off now."

Taking off both of his bottles, his armor dissolved into a thick mist that soon dissipated, revealing Gentoku in his new outfit. He was seen wearing an unzipped black overcoat that reached down to his knees over a black zippered vest. The coat also had some purple accents that went on the torso and the collar sleeves. On his bottom were black pants and a pair of black collar boots. The outfit slightly reminded him of that of a pirate movie, where most of the pirates wore such elegant coats, one that he remembered on wanting to have one ever since he was 15, though such dream had seemingly become true during his defection to Seito in the Pandora War. The coat was also a few centimeters shorter than the previous one.

"Nice." He muttered as he checked on one last thing on his outfit. "I wonder if there's... ooh..."

* * *

Later, our heroes gathered back at the land's palace, where Master Eraqus had expected them. The trio straightened their bodies as they faced their master. As for Gentoku, he simply stood on the side as he gazed towards the horizon for a while before checking on the Bearers.

"Aqua. Ven. Terra. The three of you had exceptionally showed your skills and mettles in both the battle and how the three of you handled the light inside your hearts well. However, the real trial shall start from here on. Our universe is at peril as we've known, thus the reason why I tutored the three of you. Terra, Ven, let this be a trial for you to show me that the two of you are also capable of becoming Keyblade Masters."

"Yes, Master!" Terra and Ven said. The former then assured along with Ven's nod, "We won't let you down."

"Ventus, remember what I told you before: stay close to them. Don't be shy to ask for your friends' help should you find any difficulties among your way. After all, you all shared the same dream, no?" Eraqus instructed.

"I understand, Master! I'll get stronger before you know it!" Ven acknowledged.

"Aqua, as a Keyblade Master, not only that I task you to accomplish this mission, but I also request you to watch over your friends in your journey. I have already tasked you with a much heavier one before once you've already become a Master. Now, I believe that I have asked you to do what you must, and shall do in a second."

"Your wish is also mine, Master. I shall protect them as how you cared to us." Aqua agreed.

"That is good to hear, all of you." Eraqus smiled. He then turned his attention to the good stranger they had happened to meet.

"Now then... Gentoku Himuro. Though I haven't got to know you more, you've shown a great quality of how a true warrior fights. I can feel that something good might come up from you should you never stray from the path that you have just taken as of today. Now, I might not be the one who casts a burden to a stranger, but it appears that somehow, our fates has intertwined. Not only that, I also have a feeling that we might require an expertise to solve this overarching problem, such as yourself."

"You want me to join you in your fight against the Unversed?" he asked.

"I believe that by having you in the fold, we might have a greater chance to go up against the darkness that has roamed free. So, what do you say, Kamen Rider?"

He said. "Well..." the Rider surprisingly unzipped his vest to reveal a purple T-shirt with a huge, RPG-ish text saying:

 **GENTOKU HIMURO HAS JOINED THE PARTY!**

There was a silence that filled the air of the floating land. A wind blew a tumbleweed that somehow came out of nowhere, adding the awkwardness of the situation to a whole new level.

"Umm... what are you doing?" Aqua asked.

"My shirt emphasizes my statement; I've decided to join the three of you in this quest, as well. That is all I can say." Gentoku clarified. He then rubbed his favorite T-Shirt in an utmost amazement. "Oh, how I love this."

"O... kay?"

"Look who's awkward, now." Ven playfully jeered.

"Oh please, Ven. This style never dies." He denied.

"Heh, I'm not surprised that you'll do it. well, except for the shirt part." Terra said.

"You want one?"

"Hell no!"

"Now then, It's time for the four of you to begin your quest to save the worlds. I wish for the best luck of you all. And as always... may your heart be your guiding key." Eraqus dismissed.

"Yes, Master." The trio acknowledged.

"So, what're we waiting for?" he said as he covered his shirt with the vest, and revealed yet another shirt with a text:

 **LET'S GO!**

"Just use your word, already." Terra corrected.

"I like my shirts better. You know... cash grab and stuff." He defended.

"Oh, and Gentoku?"

"Sir?"

He then gave Rogue the Keychain Tsukasa entrusted to him.

"An acquintance of my Master gave me this. He said that it is for you to use."

"A Keychain? Well, let's see if-"

Suddenly, the Keychain emitted a purple light. Rogue also felt the need to summon his Keyblade, in which he did much to Eraqus' surprise. The Rider then hung the Keychain to the bottom of the weapon's key. It caused a surge of light energy to flow into an empty bottle that his holder quickly cratfed, filling it with the substance.

"A Keyblade? Why, yet another bizzare turn of events unfolded once again as if they kept overlapping one after another." Eraqus wondered.

"Yeah, bizzare might be the right word for it. I know, it's uhh... very unconventional?"

"Nevermind that. Why it has no edge of its own?" he asked.

"Well, that's because..."

 **LOCK!**

 **KEYBLADE MODE!**

"This." He showed his active Keyblade.

"I see. This one must've taken the characteristics from your origin. No wonder it functioned completely different than ours."

"So... does this make me a Keyblader, now?"

"Keyblader?"

"Uhh, Keyblade Wielder? I don't know, it kinda sound mouthful for me."

"I think it's catchy." Ven commented.

"You do?"

"Well, I've also been thinking about calling it as 'Keyblade Slinger' or 'Keyslinger' but... whatever. I'll go with Keybladers, anyway."

"Hooray for Keybladers."

"Hooray!" Ven cheered.

"Hoo... ray?" Terra and Aqua followed reluctantly.

"I'm sure you guys are gonna get used to it." Gentoku assured, which was welcomed by their sheepish laughter.

"It seems that my students has taken a liking to you." Eraqus then noted, "And as a matter of fact, that would make you a special case of a... Keyblader to acquire it in such manner. I noticed that you had already had an experience leagues ahead that makes you qualified as a warrior. I would normally enlist you to a trial, but seeing our condition as of today, I will let you pass as a Keyblader and for your journey to be your test."

"That, I'm glad know. Now, for the moment of truth..."

He then pulled out the said bottle that began to take a form of a red, left half-heart with an image of a bike. Inserting it to the Keyblade's slot caused another command to activate.

 **BIKE!**

 **GLIDER MODE!**

The Keyblade emitted a red light that soon began to manifest another form. Parts by parts appeared one after another to form what appeared to be... a hover bike. Its colors were carbon grey with red accents, following some of the bottle's elements. The vehicle's body looked a bit similar to that of a racing bike, with Rogue's heart symbol on its cannon-mounted head. Instead of wheels, it was installed with a pair of huge sharp carbon blades with red edges. There were also yellow warning lines on both of the blades.

"Huh, who knows that an oversized key could do so many wonders." He mused. "And my very own ride... finally."

"Such reason is why the Keyblade had a very special role in our world, Gentoku. That is a tool meant to restore and keep the order of the worlds. Remember it, and you'll bring upon the light to the very lands of the universe."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"Now, make your way to the worlds, all of you. I wish you all the best of luck, and as always: may your heart be your guiding key." Master Eraqus prayed for the heroes' success.

"Yes Master!" They acknowledged.

"Yes sir." Gentoku followed.

The heroes then lined up to prepare their Armors. Knowing that they were about to put them on, Gentoku reminded, "Remember what I said about the magic word."

"Okay." Ven said. He then whispered to his teammates. "Uhh... should we do it?"

"Well, I don't see any harm of doing it." Terra said.

"Still, I wonder how it affects our performances. I believe it's worth a shot." Aqua suggested.

"So, it's a yes then." Ven confirmed.

"Alright. You guys ready?" Gentoku asked. His friends nodded to him in response. A slight smile was formed on his face, knowing that he wouldn't be the only armored hero alone anymore. For a moment his mind went back to the days when he was fighting alongside his fellow Riders. It was glorious, despite the hardships they had to went through. Now that he had gained another new friends, things wouldn't be that much different.

After all, what could go wrong of this?

"Though, let's try this combo." He muttered.

 **CROCODILE! LOCK!**

 **ARE YOU READY?**

The four heroes all chanted in unison, "HENSHIN!"

Their armors began to envelop each of them in their own ways. Rogue's armor became the very first one he wore, a black armor of a mixture between the Build and Transteam system. As for the Keybladers, the word 'Henshin had made them feel somewhat... different. They had been training with their armors for years, but never had they thought that such word alone could give them a moral boost they were going to need for the battle. Master Eraqus could only watch it in wonder, but he quickly shrugged it off nonetheless.

"This armor again? Hmm... it seems that this is my Trial Form, then." Rogue suggested to himself. "Gotta remember to give my gears their names, later."

"Hey, you're right. Somehow, I felt like a cool guy already!" Ven said.

"It's called a badass, Ven." Rogue explained.

"Anyway, isn't that the first one you wear in here?"

"I placed a random bottle match on my Driver. Seems that this is how it works."

"I'm opening the gate to the Lanes Between, now. We're going together. Get ready." Aqua said as she lifted her Keyblade to the front.

Her Keyblade lit up as the spell activated. The light then opened a dark portal gate, the same one where Rogue had fallen into. The moment passed for Rogue as it felt like years he had been in the new world. He wondered if his friends were looking for him, hoping that Tsukasa had already told them beforehand. As much as he wanted to see them again, he knew that he already had a job to do. He must help the apperentices of Master Eraqus in their quest, and he had a feeling that he would have a lot of teachings he needed to do. All of his past experiences might be for this moment to come. Then again, he wondered if he could make a good teacher.

He didn't ponder it for too long as Eraqus called him out.

"Gentoku... as a mentor myself, I'm also aware of the fact that I must one day, let my children go. And truth to be told, I am... scared that the day I release them shall come, to let them pick the paths they desire to go." Eraqus admitted. "But Ventus... he's a very different case... I'm afraid I cannot tell you such matter lightly, but... please understand this if you see the reason for yourself. You'll understand why I am a bit reluctant to let him go."

Rogue sighed. He assured, "He's gonna be fine, Eraqus. We're all gonna be fine. You can trust me to keep an eye on them. Besides, I already have an experience. I'll be a good teacher for them as they grow up into fine warriors. Farewell for now, Master Eraqus."

The Keyblade Master could only nod in acceptance. It was about time he needed to accept the fact that his students must start their own journey, for their lives would be in the battlefield. He had nurtured them, tutored them, and watched them grew up into warriors he had known. Their journey would be perilous for sure. Which is why, all he could do at the moment was to have faith in their lights.

The darkness shall be vanquished by their hands, and they shall restore the order of the Heartverse.

"Please... watch over them... Kamen Rider Rogue."

* * *

 **(A/N)**

 **Hello, hello, and welcome to Kingdom Hearts: The Rogue's Key chapter 2!**

 **This is gonna be the last chapter that I post on my holiday period as the new semester will start soon in around September. So, things are gonna get more plenty from here on as I've registered and got accepted for the college majoring's student association. Organizational stuffs sure can be pretty much tiring, eh?**

 **After seeing how Build's latest episode... well, feels train, people. But don't worry, if you're asking how this fic would go in such direction, I already have a contingency plan in the making should one of the Riders don't make it to the end. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you to follow it up, because... spoiler alert. See it for yourself, if you may.**

 **And here we have CrocodiCon as Rogue's first and primary Mist Match. I think it's an ideal choice because of... well, reasons. I also had to come up with some of his old and new Henshin aesthetics, seeing that he had already had a bunch of new gears of his own. His Mist Match armor won't work much like Build does, but kind of mixing up the elements to form a new set of armor like how Mad Rogue goes with. He also have a Keyblade of his own, working much like how the latest Rider gears do. His Keyblade Glider resembled the one from Kingdom Hearts II that Sora and Riku used in the final battle. Also an ideal choice of mine. The names for his new gears will be revealed later. I already have them in mind.**

 **The heroes had finally begun their journey towards the worlds of Heartverse to protect them from the dangers that shall come henceforth. What kind of worlds will they go to? What will be their first one?**

 **As always, please leave your comments below and remember, BE CONSTRUCTIVE.**

 **Until next time.**


End file.
